


Of Inner Demons

by kemor



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: AU, Angst, Character Death, Drama, F/M, Fights, Gen, Magic, Rakuen no Tou | Tower of Heaven Arc, Romance, Slavery, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-07
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-02-11 13:49:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 140,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12936606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kemor/pseuds/kemor
Summary: After being left by Igneel, Natsu is not found by Makarov. Years later he becomes Salamander - a rogue mage whose main purpose is destroying dark guilds. Fed up with his actions, the Council puts a bounty on his head. This leads to his fateful meeting with a certain redhaired knight. From enemies to soulmates to lovers. NatZa fic, Natsu is stronger/smarter, Rated M for adult themes. Suitable for every Fairy Tail fan, even if you do not ship Natsu and Erza.





	1. Salamander

Chapter 1: Salamander

Hey. I'm back(kinda) with my first ever Fairy Tail fic. I'm rusty as hell and, as always, struggling with making the dialogue look natural and not cringy and out of character. The plot is pretty much focused on what you've read in the summary, but expect to see it expand with each chapter. Although this is a NatZa fic, do not expect pure fluff or romance. This is a story of two broken people meeting under very unpleasant circumstances, who later on find out more about each other and without noticing feel the need to be close to each other. Expect to watch their relationship build itself in future chapters. Do forgive me if this story seems to be overused or looks copied - I've read only couple of FT stories. But for now - I hope you enjoy Chapter 1. Please, do let me know what you think in reviews. I can take criticism, but make sure to keep it polite and ripe with advice. Nobody likes to see their work be called "shit" without getting a proper reason.

This story is rated M for violence, occasional language and adult themes.

November 16th X784, Magic Council HQ, Era

Cursing in his mind for the tenth time this day, Makarov Dreyar sighed tiredly and rubbed his burning eyes. He deeply regretted not retiring when he had the chance. If he knew he'd have to sit through THIS, his grandson Laxus would've been the Master by now.

An unusual Council meeting was currently taking place. Councilmen, Military Commanders, Guild Masters and several Wizard Saints sat together by one table. Upon receiving the letter, all of them arrived tense, not sure what to expect. Such official and enormous meeting hasn't happened in years.

"Now that we've finally agreed on the matter of upcoming Grand Magic Games, let us get to the last and most important topic of this meeting." said Council's Chairman, Gran Doma. "As most of you have probably figured out, I have not summoned you all just to discuss the Games, and next year's guild funds."

Makarov straightened himself in his chair and looked around the meeting hall. All the seemingly tired and irritated mages focused on the Chairman, clearly curious. His sheer presence was something unusual, let alone in a meeting with this many high ranked members present at once.

"This issue has been a hidden thorn in not only the Council's side, but entire magic world. The time has come to rip it out and burn without trace."

Previously curious Councilors now started whispering amongst each other, clearly confused. Makarov looked away from the Chairman and frowned - what could possibly be so important to make the usually calm Chairman speak so offensively?

"The matter I wish to discuss is the rogue mage, "Salamander"."

The whispers turned into several loud discussions, as mass confusion consumed the meeting hall. Some members nodded in approval, but majority of present mages never heard of said "rogue mage". Makarov raised an eyebrow, and in the corner of his eye, he noticed his old friend Yajima sigh heavily in defeat. Old Master heard rumors about this youngster, however he never considered his person to be important enough to have an entire meeting dedicated to himself.

The Chairman struck his staff into the floor several times, gaining the attention of distracted mages, as silence fell in the hall once again.

"I understand your confusion. It is not a matter we wished to speak about openly. His existance was not important enough to be discussed on an official meeting. But recently that has changed, and the impact this man has struck on the magic world in recent months, and his crimes committed throughout the years have grown far too big to be left ignored."

Silence fell in the hall, as all mages listened to the Chairman.

"Head of the 4th Custody Enforcement Unit, Lahar, will give us a report of this issue. Lahar, please step out."

A man with black hair and round glasses stood up from his chair and bowed to the Chairman.

"Thank you, Chairman. Before we begin, I'd like to apologize to all of you present here in advance. The reports I am about to read may appear to be confusing and out of place. I will do my best to answer all of your potential questions. Thank you for your patience."

He opened his notebook, cleared his throat and began to read.

"The person I am about to speak of is a rogue mage, who goes by the nickname "Salamander". His real name remains unknown. He does not belong to any guild, be it dark, or legal. Under normal circumstances he'd be rendered as an independant mage, however proof we have gathered over past years suggests otherwise. His main target are Dark Guilds. He tracks them and destroys without a trace. His victims are usually left crippled, scarred, or in worst cases, dead. However, despite his violent behaviour, he does not appear to be completely lethal. His actions have a certain-"

"I'm sorry, but what is so "confusing" about this?" A short Councilman interrupted Lahar, clearly irritated. "Do you think we're stupid enough to not understand a simple report? What you're describing is a typical dark mage, do you think of us as fools, boy?"

"My apologies, Michello-dono, however, if you waited for couple seconds longer, you would've known why it is so confusing." answered Lahar.

Michelo clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Continue, Lahar." said Chairman.

"Yes, sir."

Lahar adjusted his glasses and started to read the rest.

"As I was saying, his actions create a weird pattern. He tracks a guild down, destroys it and then calls for our Military, usually fleeing the scene before our arrival. That is the reason we have no information on his appearance. We've interrogated several captured mages, and their testimonies all come down to three things: he's male, he uses fire magic and covers his entire body, including his face, in clothing. He comes without warning, destroys the guild, calls the Military, and leaves without leaving a trace. Even our best trackers could never pick his trail. He's seemingly invinsible."

"How can we be sure he's not in one of the Dark Guilds? They always fight amongst each other." asked Councilman Yuri.

"My men have encountered him two times, once catching him by pure luck right after his attacks. Upon engaging him in battle, he told them that he does not wish to fight them, and fled the scene."

"Maybe he's just weak? Dark Guilds are usualy made out of the weakest mages, who are heavily inferior to our Military." said Michello mockingly.

"With all due respect Michello, I don't think a weak mage would be capable of destroying entire guilds on his own." thrown in Belno.

"It's just as Belno-dono said." answered Lahar, his tone sounding more serious. "Three months ago, a terrible accident happened in a village near Magnolia. I'm sure you have all heard about it on a meeting."

"Yes, we have. If I'm not mistaken, Makarov-dono's guild was the one to provide first aid to injured villagers." said Jura Neekis, looking at Makarov for confirmation.

"Yes, it's true." answered Makarov "My brats were coming back from a mission. Though when they got there, the village was already in ruins and witnesses were too shocked and injured to know what happened."

"But we do." thrown in Lahar, adjusting his glasses. "Said village was one of the hideouts of Oracion Seiss. They kept their identities secret and used it as one of their bases of operation, living with the villagers in peace. Salamander tracked them and engaged them in battle. Our source claims to have seen Salamander fight three members at once, before both sides fled the scene."

The Council members gasped in shock. The defeat of Oracion Seiss required an alliance of 4 guilds, including a Wizard Saint. To hold his own against three members at once...

Jura stood up from his seat and slammed his hands into the desk.

"Forgive my insolence Lahar-dono, but your source must be wrong. I have seen these mages in action with my own eyes. There is no way one person could have fought three of these skilled mages on their own!"

"I understand your feelings, Jura-dono, but I am in no position of questioning my source. Their data is always correct." retorted Lahar.

"If all of this is true, we have to take action." said Yuri. "If he decides to turn against us, he may turn out to be a tremendous foe."

"Two months ago, we successfully predicted one of his attacks. Although at first unwilling, once we pressured him hard enough, he engaged my unit in battle. He defeated 50 men in a matter of minutes. I'm afraid there is not a single soldier in our army capable of arresting him." said Lahar.

A heated discussion erupted in the hall, compelling arguments being thrown left and right.

"He has to be stopped!"

"Hes doing our work for us, let him be."

"It's only a matter of time before he targets us!"

"This is a declaration of war!"

Makarov stared at his hands, lost in thought. Erza did mention some members of Oracion Seiss appeared to have been already injured, but he never gave it a thought. Three months ago...The Alliance defeated them 10 weeks ago, which leaves a 14 days gap between both incidents. If it was so recent, why hasn't the Council informed them before the attack?

Fairy Tail's Master looked at the Chairman and raised his hand.

"What is it, Saint Dreyar?" asked Gran Doma

"Chairman, may I ask why wasn't The Alliance informed of something this crucial? Weakening three members of Oracion Seiss is a major achievement. This information would've benefitted the operation, and possibly prevented damage, both physical and material, as we would have approached them more carefully."

Council members started to mutter in agreement, nodding.

"At first, we thought of his actions as a favor to the world of magic. However, his claws started to grow in size, turning him into yet another criminal. We were hoping to deal with this matter in secret, but it is far beyond our power. That is the reason I have gathered you all here." Chairman faced the Guildmasters.

"I have a proposal. However, I have no authority to decide it on my own. Therefore a voting will take place. But it appears Councilman Yajima has a better idea."

All the mages faced Yajima, his hand raised in the air.

He stood up from his chair and adressed the Chairman.

"Is he really our enemy? Although I cannot say I agree with his methods, we're all treating him like an enemy of humanity itself. For all we now, he could be just another misguided young mage." he looked at Makarov, almost as if adressing the last sentence to him. The Master snorted quietly in amusement.

"A young misguided mage does not burn down villages and kills or heavily cripples other people." retorted Leiji. "Dark Guild hunting is frowned upon, even amongst legal guilds, unless the Council approves it. Vigilantism is still a crime."

Whispers of approval once again filled the meeting hall. Gran Doma struck the floor with his staff, silencing them yet again.

"I respect and thank you for your opinion, Councilman Yajima. Please, take your seat.."

Yajima bowed and sat down, a sad frown forming on his face.

"Ladies and gentlemen, here is the Council's proposal."

November 17th, Magnolia, Fairy Tail Guild

A young blonde girl yawned soundly in boredom, sprawling her torso all over the table. It was fairly early in the morning, and the guild was seemingly empty. Having nothing better to do, she decided to come earlier than usual, in hope of finding something to kill time.

"Gray, can't we just go on a mission?" she asked a raven-haired boy sitting in front of her.

"You know I'm not the one who picks them, Lucy." answered Gray Fullbuster, lazily flipping a page of his magazine.

Lucy sighed heavily, faceplanting the table. She's always found this rule stupid. Even though they formed their team not so long ago, they should all have same rights. Why does she make all of their decisions on her own?

"You know why." Gray sighed, reading the girl's thoughts.

Lucy straigtened herself up and looked to her right, where an armored, scarlet-haired girl was sitting. Not paying attention to her comrades, she continued eating her cake. Lucy gulped, preparing herself for possible outrage.

"Um, Erza?" she asked her friend carefully.

Erza Scarlet took her eyes off her cake and looked at her friend.

"What is it, Lucy?"

Lucy sighed in relief. Talking to Erza when she's eating her cake usually didn't end well. Taking the knight's calm tone for granted, she felt alot less tense.

"I was wondering, could we go on a mission today? It's not like we have anything to do."

Erza put down her fork and cleaned her lips with a napkin.

"You're right, the guild does seem empty. I think we could go for a quick job." she smiled at the blonde.

"Yes!" screamed Lucy, throwing her arms in the air. Gray looked at them from behind his magazine and sighed. He really didn't feel like going out today.

"Well then, I supose I should go take a look at the board. Any preferences?" the redhead asked her team, standing up from her spot.

"Something with a reward big enough for my rent!"

"Something that doesn't require walking."

Erza smacked Gray across his head and walked up to the board. Seeing no suitable jobs, she shifted her gaze at the second floor. Lately ahe's been thinking about taking her teammates on an S-Class job, but somewhere deep inside, she found them not ready for such an important task. Their skill was not the issue - it was the unpredictibility of S-Class requests.

As Erza continued picking a job, the guilds door opened, startling the redhead. She smiled as she noticed her master standing in the doorway.

"Welcome back, Master. How was the meeting?" asked Lisanna Strauss, who was in charge of the bar.

Makarov muttered something that sounded like "It was fine." and made his way through the guild hall. Upon reaching the stairs to his office, he stopped walking and stood there for couple seconds, before speaking out.

"Erza, come to my office. Alone. There's something I wish to discuss with you."

Erza frowned. His voice sounded way too serious for his carefree nature. She looked at her team, as if expecting an explanation. Gray looked her in the eye and waved his head towards second floor, telling her to go. She nodded and made her way up the stairs, reaching her Master's office. She didn't bother with knocking and opened the door. The very first thing she noticed upon entering the room, was Makarov's figure, showing her his back as he faced the window, as if observing something.

"Close the door." he commanded her.

Erza complied and turned the key over in the lock. She then took her seat and waited for short mage to speak.

"Before we begin, there's something I must know. Are Laxus and Mira currently in Magnolia?" Makarov asked.

"No. Mirajane left this morning to buy supplies and Laxus left on a job with his team. They left two days ago."

Makarov sighed heavily, feeling even more uneasy. He had hoped to catch at least one of them in the guild. He turned around and faced Erza, noticing her worried face.

"Erza, do you trust me?"

The knight's eyes widened in suprise. Why would he ask her that? Wasn't it obvious? Did she do something to make the elder man feel like she didn't trust him?

After a short while, she regained her composure - he would never ask her that without a good reason. Erza gripped her skirt tightly and looked him in the eye.

"Of course, Master."

Seeing her determined eyes, old man nodded and turned to the window once again.

"Very well. Tell me, does the name "Salamander" ring any bells to you?" he asked her.

Erza frowned, trying to remember. She did recall hearing it a time or two, but nothing major came up in her mind.

"I did hear it, however I'm afraid I do not know anything about this person." she answered truthfully.

"I can't blame you. It's someone I didn't know that much about myself, at least until yesterday. On yesterday's meeting, his name had been brought up by the Chairman himself."

"The Chairman attended the meeting?" asked Erza, slightly shocked.

"He did, It was not an ordinary meeting either, almost every important member of the Council was present. All for this "Salamander"."

Now she was shocked. She never heard about such an important meeting. Just who was this Salamander...?

"He tracks down and destroys dark guilds." said old Master, as if reading the girl's mind. "The Council finds him to be a threat to all of Fiore. At first they ignored him, letting him do their dirty work for them. But once he started being more unpleasant than helpful, and the Council was proven to be incapable of arresting him, they started to fear him. So they decided to throw this job onto our shoulders."

Now she was just confused. How come she never heard of this? Her jobs were considered some of the most unpleasant jobs avaible. She had met many outlaws, informators, mercenaries. She herself destroys couple of dark guilds. Surely his actions would have reached her ears at some point.

"The Council decided to put a bounty on his head, in a form of an open S-Class job. It will be sent to all the guilds whose Guildmasters were present at the meeting. That's 12 guilds in total. Whoever captures him first, gets the reward - 30,000,000 jewels."

Erza's eyes widened in shock. "30,000,000?!" she asked. "I don't think I've ever seen a reward this big!"

"That is the amounf of money they're willing to spend to make us do their job for them." Makarov muttered, his tone annoyed. He then turned around and sat on his chair, looking Erza in the eye. "That is why I asked if Mira and Laxus are present. I was planning on sending you three on this job."

Shocked redhead looked at her hands, gripping her skirt even harder. Never in her time in Fairy Tail were three S-Class mages sent on the same job. She had faced many dangers, to the point where some of her jobs were considered impossible to finish. But she'd always pulled through on her own. Was this job that dangerous, or does Master have a plan?

"Master, may I ask why you asked me whether I trust you? Does it have something to do with this job?" she asked him, her tone calmer than she expected.

"Because we are not going to play by the Council's rules." the senior retorted, resting his chin on his hands. "You will leave today. I will have Mira and Laxus join you as soon as they get back. We must be quick about this. If the bounty gets to other guilds, Fiore will become a battlefield for dozens of S-Class mages. We're going to be faster."

Erza nodded in agreement. She knew many S-Class mages, even outside of Fairy Tail. None of them will let this chance slip away and not even the Council's laws will stop them.

"Your job will be finding him, and if necessary, subduing him. However, do not alarm the Council. If you manage to get this far, I will take over."

The knight's eyes widened in suprise. "May I ask why you wish to speak to him?" she asked.

"An old friend asked me to. And to be fair, I agree with him. It's most likely because all you shitty brats have such sketchy backgrounds, but I don't think he's who Council makes him out to be." he chuckled in amusement, making the redhead smile. She could not disagree, even if she wanted to.

"You must hurry. Gather people you consider worthy of this task and leave as soon as you can. Although I was not provided with his whereabouts, I'm most certain you will find the right trail. As for other informations, I will give you this printed copy of Military's reports. Be mindful though, it's full of meaningless records. Finding something useful in here may be difficult."

Makarov slid a pile of papers towards Erza. She stood up from her seat, grabbing them from the the desk.

"I will take my leave, then. I promise to carry out this task to its end." she bowed, opening the door.

"Be careful." Makarov nodded, watching as she disappeared behind the door.

Erza sighed heavily, as she placed her back on the wood. Truth to be told, she felt nervous. This situation was not something she could have ever predicted. With all the stronger members out of town, her only avaible choices for this mission were Gray and Lucy. But are they strong enough...?

The redhead shook her head violently, knocking these thoughts out of her mind. They're my teammates. I trust them with my life. How could I even let these thoughts form in my head?

With this resolve, she climbed down the stairs and marched towards her teammates, who were already looking in her way.

"What is it?" asked Gray. Shortly after, Erza repeated the entire conversation to her teammates.

"30,000,000?!" yelled out Lucy, completely shocked, before feeling cold steel on her lips, as Erza gagged her with her hand.

"Yes, Lucy. Be mindful of your surroundings, it's a secret for a reason." Erza hissed, irritated with her friend's reaction.

Lucy looked around, as curious heads turned to look at them. Realising her mistake she sweatdropped and nodded to Erza, who released blonde's mouth.

"Sorry. It's just...I've never heard of this much money being paid for a job."

"Neither have I. And they're willing to give it for capturing some random viligante? Count me in." grinned Gray, confident.

"Yes, they are. But as I said, we're not getting any of that money. This is an extremely dangerous mission, something I should not be taking you on. But I trust you, and I hope you do not fail me." she scowled, looking in Gray's direction, as he muttered a scared "Yes, ma'am."

"With that said, we're leaving today. Meet me in an hour on train station. Take only necessary things, we travel light. Oh, and Lucy?" she adressed the blonde, handing her papers givev to her by Makarov "Your job will be reading this. Tell us everything you find important."

Happy to receive the easier part of the job, Lucy nodded. Just when they were about to leave, a sudden scream stopped them in their tracks.

"WAIT!" yelled Makarov, quickly climbing down the stairs. He ran up to Erza and her team, catching his breath.

"What is it, Master?" asked Erza, expecting to hear some valuable information he may have forgotten.

The older mage took a wide swing and smacked his hand into Lucy's butt with full strenght, making the blonde yelp out in pain.

"I forgot something!" grinned Makarov.

"Master..." Erza sweatdropped, as Lucy sobbed quietly in the background.

"Good luck, my children." he said in farewell.

The trio nodded and left the guild, going separate ways to prepare for the mission.

An hour later, the team gathered in Magnolia Station. Both Lucy and Gray had small backpacks hanged over their shoulders, and Erza(much to her friends shock) had only one suitcase.

"So, where to now? Did Gramps give you any leads?" asked Gray.

"No, he didn't. But I already know where to start looking." the knight responded. "We're going to Lupinus Town."

An hour later, the trio was already sitting in the train, which was making its way towards their destination.

"Lucy, you've been reading that thing ever since we left. Have you found anything useful?" asked Gray.

"It's just like Master said, it's practically full of pointless reports." Lucy sighed, slightly disappointed. "The only valuable piece of information I've found thus far, is that he uses fire magic."

"Fire magic? This job is getting easier with each minute!" smirked Gray, punching his hand.

"Gray." Gray jumped in his seat, feeling hundreds of dangers piercing his skin, as he fell victim to Erza's glare. "The Council itself has put up this request. This may turn out to be the most difficult and dangerous job you wil ever go on. I took you with me, because I trusted you are ready. But you're slowly betraying my trust."

Lucy shrieked in her seat, hiding her face behind the papers. She was glad to not be on the receiving end of redhead's death glare.

"Sorry." murmurred Gray, his previous confidence strangled in its crib.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Lucy decided to keep Erza busy long enough to calm down.

"Erza, why exactly are we going to Lupinus? Do you have an idea of where to look for this guy?" she asked the knight.

Erza relaxed her face and looked at Celestial Mage, taking the bait.

"No, but someone who may know lives there. Whenever I was stuck during my missions, he was the one to point me in the right direction. I don't want to admit it, but if he doesn't know this "Salamander", I doubt we will find him on our own."

This only made Lucy more tense - they had only one shot. If this person doesn't know anything, they're done.

"You're the boss." sighed Gray, looking out the window.

The rest of their journey went by in silence. Lucy focused on her lecture, Gray spaced out while looking at what was behind the window and Erza was sitting in her seat, with her eyes closed.

She couldn't get rid of that bad feeling she had ever since they left. She was worried about her teammates, true, but they were not the cause of her hunch. Trying to imagine what sort of a mage Salamander is was rather difficult, as even his appearance was a mystery. Battle simulations weren't easy either - despite having three counters to his Fire Magic, she didn't feel even a bit confident.

Finally, they reached their destination and got off on an rather obscure looking station. Lupinos didn't have the reputation of the most beautiful town, so for Erza, it was to be expected. Gray and Lucy, on the other hand...

"What the hell's wrong with this town?!" asked Lucy, suprised at the state the city was in.

Every single building they laid their eyes on was either a ruin. or was poorly patched up with materials that did not match each other at all. The station itself was probably the best preserved object in the entire city. Houses were missing walls, chunks of rooftops and some of them didn't have glass in their window frames. Those who could afford some repairs plugged holes in their walls with wood, which was already rotting from both rain and age. Far away, they could spot a castle, or rather its ruins. No matter how they looked at it, this town was...

"...a complete shithole." Gray stated, stunned. "Are you sure this is the place, Erza?"

"Yes." replied the redhead. "This town was once an inhabited area, just like Magnolia. But wars between mages took a toll on this place and now it's a hideout for some rather unpleasant folk. They're not dangerous, not unless you start trouble. Stick close to me and we'll be fine."

Lucy immediately ran up to Erza, grabbing her armored arm. They walked for couple of minutes, eagerly following Erza until they stopped in front of a bar. Though the only thing telling them it was a bar was a rather fresh sign, as the building itself didn't look much different from others. The trio entered the building and were met with a rather foul stench of wood soaked with alcohol and tabacco. Windows were covered with black curtains nailed into the wooden frames, blocking any light from entering the local. Stools were put on top of filthy tables, clearly not used in ages. It was hard to see, as the only source of light was a lantern, standing on top of the barcounter, where a man was sitting, focused on his book. He had a black hairstack on his head that apparently was his hair, with a week old beard glued to his face. He was most likely in his forties.

"Closed. Get out." said the man, his voice raspy and rough.

Erza walked up to the counter and put her hands on top of it, making nothing of the man's demands.

"You sure?" she asked him in a serious voice.

The man looked up from his book and squinted his eyes, trying to recognize the woman in front of him. After a while, his frown disappeared, replaced with a joyful expression.

"Well, I'll be damned! Erza!"

Throwing his book aside, the man stood up from his chair and wrapped his arms around the redhead, pulling her in for a rather aggressive hug.

Lucy gasped in shock, suprised by his sudden behavior. Gray, on the other hand, made a cross on his head and torso with his hand, praying for this poor bastard's yet to be ripped out soul. To their bigger shock, Erza did not assault the man, but instead lightly hugged him back, patting him on the back.

"You reek, Troy." she said jokingly, making him release her in a flash, as he started to smell himself.

"And you're as hot as ever, so same old I guess." Troy chuckled. He looked at Erza's teammates, who just stood there, stunned by what was happening in front of them. "And they are...?"

"My teammates." answered shortly Erza. "They're with me."

Smiling even wider, Troy extended his hand to Gray and Lucy. "Well, Erza's friends are my friends. I'm Troy."

"Gray Fullbuster." said Gray, shaking the mans hand.

"Lucy." greeted him Lucy, grimacing upon feeling his strong grip.

"Well then." said Troy, sitting back in his chair. "What brings you here? I doubt you're here to talk about old times?" he asked them, as the trio took their seats as well.

"I need your help." responded Erza. "I know I owe you alot, but this time I really can't do it without your help."

"Stop it. You know I'll never pay back that debt I owe you. Giving you some information is the least I can do." he waved his hand, making the knight smile. "Well, spit it out. Who, or, what are you tracking this time?"

Reequip mage looked at her teammates, as if looking for advice. Catching her gaze, they both nodded, getting a nod from Erza in return. Looking back at Troy, she answered his question.

"Salamander."

Upon hearing the name, Troy snorted loudly, as an ironic chuckle found its way through his mouth, which irritated Gray.

"Did she say something funny?" he asked, not fond of his reaction.

"I'm afraid she did." Troy retorted, this time dead serious. "Let me put it that way, kid - you'll have an easier time catching smoke, than this guy."

Erza frowned. That's definitely not what she had hoped to hear. This wasn't just about the job - if S-Class mages from all 12 guilds start their hunt, they will definitely engage each other in battle. Money tempts even the wisest mages. A battle between S-Class mages could result in a disaster.

"Is there really nothing you can tell us? This is urgent." she asked the man, looking him deep in the eye.

Seeing determination in redhead's eyes, Troy sighed heavily and scratched his head.

"Don't get me wrong, I didn't say I don't know anything. But what I've got is probably not that different from those papers your cute friend is reading there." he said, looking at papers held by Lucy. "This is some Council shit, right?" he asked her, receiving an approving nod. "I'll tell you everything I know, but don't expect a miracle." he said, this time looking at Erza.

"Thank you."

Troy pulled out a cigarette and lightened it. Upon taking a drag from his cancer stick, he blew out some smoke and shared his intel with the team.

"Salamander, the rogue mage. Uses fire magic, hunts down dark guilds and criminals, avoids legal mages and Council members unless he has no other choice. That's all you know, right?" he asked them, receiving nods from the trio. He tapped some ash from his cigarette's tip and continued. "He has no base of operation. He sleeps in caves, bushes, on trees. A man of nature, I'd say. He's rather young, possibly your age. They told you he was an independant vigilante, but what they didn't tell you, is that he's a merc. He takes jobs that are not sent to the guilds for various reasons - they're not that different from jobs you used to take back in the day, Erza. They're all on brink of being illegal, some of them actually cross that line. He talked to only one of his clients and I happen to know the guy, that's how I know he's young. He finds a request, tracks down the client, gets a stamp, carries it out and takes the reward, with no conversations what so ever. But people put up these jobs in hopes of finding him in their doorstep and from what I heard, he's one of the best."

Erza listened, as Troy tapped some ash once again. He was right - the main reason Master forced her to form a team was so that she stopped taking these dangerous missions. When it comes to that, they truly were similiar. Troy took another drag and continued.

"But most of the time, he hunts down dark guilds. Baram Alliance is one bigass tree, with each branch being one, big "alliance". From what it seems, he's going up the branches - starting with small fries, only to get to get rid of the top. That's how he got to Oracion Seiss couple weeks ago. Though they were quite easy to get to, as they didn't really take that many guilds under their banner. But if you ask me, that was a detour, as his main targets are..."

Troy stopped and looked at Erza, who met his gaze. His bored expression was replaced with of a slight worry. They stared at each other for awhile, before Troy broke the contact and crushed his cigarette in an ashtray.

"Nah, nevermin-".

"Tell me."

He looked up, as Erza stared at him with an intimidating look, as if already knowing his answer. After a short fight with her steel eyes, the bartender gave up and sighed heavily, before finishing his sentence.

"Slavers. His main target are slavers."

Redhead's eyes widened in shock, as suddenly all painful memories started to flow into her mind. Cells, chains, whips, Jellal, Rob, Rosemarry Vilage - everything struck at once, with unexpected force. She clutched her head with her hand, sinking down in her seat, panting heavily. Lucy immediately scooped over, wrapping her arm around the shaking knight. Troy looked at Gray with "I'm sorry" written on his face, but the brunette shook his head, assuring him he wasn't at fault.

Erza took a deep breath, calming herself down as Lucy continued to rub her back in worry.

"Thank you, Lucy. I'm fine now." she smiled weakily at the blonde, who smiled back in return. She then faced Troy and said " Continue, please."

Still feeling uncomfortable, the older man clicked his tongue and pulled out another cigarette, lighting it.

"I don't know if it's a grudge, or a coincidence, but the way I see it, he's much more aggressive when it comes to them than other guilds. Either way, I sure would like to shake his hand one day. Guy's doing us all a favor."

"And you don't know where, or how to find him?" asked Gray.

"No. He's the one doing the finding. If he wants to meet you, he will find you. If you try to find him, you'll just waste your time. From what I heard, he knows how to cover his trail. Not even military dogs can catch his smell."

"Well, if a dog can't catch him, maybe tincan will get something?" ice mage asked his teammates.

"We don't have enough time to go get him. We must carry this mission out with what we currently have." stated Erza. She stood up from her chair and faced Troy. "Thank you, friend. I don't know what I'd do without you." she smiled at him, extending her hand.

The man stood up and grabbed her hand, giving it a firm shake.

"It's the least I can do. Good luck, Erza. And take care."

The trio nodded and left the bar, heading towards train station.

"Where have you met this guy?" asked Gray, looking back at the bar. "When he grabbed you I was sure you'd kill him."

"He may seen unable to read the mood, but the man's not dangerous." chuckled Erza. "He lost his family and became a bandit, though he was never fond of violence. I met him on one of my jobs when he was injured defending a girl from his "friends". I helped him defeat them and took him to a nearby village, where they patched him up,. Ever since then, he thinks of me as his goddess, who saved his life. He then came here and got interested in rumors. Soon after, the main currency in his bar was information. Every time I was having trouble tracking something, or someone nearby Lupinos, he would point me in the right direction."

"Damn." said Gray in an impressed tone. "I didn't know you hanged out with such company."

"You don't know many things about me, Gray." she smiled mischieviously.

"So, where to now? He didn't give us any directions." Lucy asked Erza, worried they failed the job.

"I've got an idea where we can look." responded Erza. "For the past couple months, a certain village kept sending requests to many guilds. According to the villagers, their local guild was a dark guild that kept terrorizing and blackmailing the inhabitants. The problem is, the guild itself is officially registered as a legal guild and no evidence had been found that suggests otherwise. However the villagers kept sending the requests, to the point where majority of guilds banned them from sending any requests at all. Although Fairy Tail was the only guild to not ban them, we kept ignoring them. But last month they just stopped coming. At first I even asked Master if he had finally banned them, but it turns out they just stopped sending them in."

"Where are you going with this? That they found someone who took the job outside of legal guilds?" frowned Gray.

"Exactly." retorted Erza, looking Gray in the eye.

The ice mage's eyes widened, as he realised what she meant. "You think he'll be there?" he asked her, his face immediately getting serious. "If he really is in that village, we have to be careful. That guy said something about him taking on Oracion Seiss, and we all know how our fight against them went down."

"I know. That's why I forbid you both to hold back if we engage him."

Lucy gulped in fear, but nodded. Even with Erza and Gray by her side, she didn't feel too safe. Still, Master was the one to entrust them with this task. She couldn't back down, not after coming this far.

Gray smirked and punched his hand, cold spreading across his arm. He was up against a fire mage - as an ice mage, it was his duty to take him down.

"The request was not just about blackmail - they claimed people kept disappearing. If what Troy said is true, he may take an interest in this job." Reequip mage turned around and looked at her teammates, her face determined. "That's why we're going to unofficially take their request as well - we're going to Blackhill Village."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Later that day, the team arrived in Blackhill. The sun was already starting to set in, as orange light covered the village. Although it was in much better shape than Lupinos, saying this place looked good would be a lie. The villagers were wearing rags, some of them with yellowish and purple bruises peeking from under their clothes. The houses they lived in looked old, almost abused, as nearly all of them were covered in mud, rust and old, dry paint peeling off the walls. They clearly needed some repairs.

But one building clearly stood out from the rest, as it looked clean, almost brand new, with a giant sign saying Dragon Claw nailed just above the entrance. Loud sounds of laughter, music and clapping could be heard, even through thick closed door of the guild. It was pretty obvious who truly ruled this village.

"You know, I'm starting to think these people weren't lying after all." muttered Gray to Erza, receiving a slight headshake from the knight.

"This village has a mayor. He's the man behind the requests. If anyone can help us, it's him." whispered the redhead, trying not to startle nearby villagers.

The team walked up to a young boy sitting on his porch. He didn't look well - his clothes were full of holes and his nails almost black from dirt. He was eating an apple, lazily looking at the sunset. He then noticed people coming towards him and stood up from his spot, almost as if ready to run.

"Wait, we're not here to hurt you." said Erza, putting her hands up in the air as a sign of peace. The boy looked at her, not letting his guard down. "We're looking for the mayor. Can you tell us where to find him?"

The boy hesitated for a while, as he eyed all three mages very carefully. Finally, he turned around to face them, before pointing his finger to the building at the end of the alley. "There. He works in the bar in the evenings."

"Thank you." Erza smiled at him and waved her hand at her team, telling them to follow her.

They followed his directions and founds themselves in front of yet another bar(which Gray commented accordingly). Reequip mage pushed the door and entered the local.

Unlike Troy's bar, this one was actually quite crowded. Almost every table was stacked with dirty looking people, clearly tired after long day of work. They all sipped their drinks in silence, only few of them engaging each other in conversation. The only seats avaible were by the counter, behind which stood a short, older man with a mustache. He was focused on cleaning a very filthy glass, not paying attention to his guests. For some reason, he loked nervous, afraid even. Erza figured out that this must be the mayor. The trio sat down, and only then did the man notice them.

"Oh, my apologies, didn't see you there." he apologized to them in a gentle, elderly voice, as he smiled at them. "Would you like a drink?"

"No, we're good." responded softly Erza. She could smell the fakeness of his smile. Something was definitely wrong with this place. "We're here in business."

The mayor chuckled, as he continued to clean his glass. "Business, eh? Does this "business" have anything to do with me, by any chance?" he laughed.

Erza smiled lightly. "Yes, I'm afraid it does. We're from Fairy Tail."

Upon hearing these words, the mayor stopped in his tracks. His previously kind face was replaced with a scowl, as he looked at young mages with a slight disguist in his eyes. This sudden change scared Lucy, as the previously cheerful old man now looked like a dangerous individual.

"I'm afraid we have nothing to discuss. I must ask you to leave." he hissed, his voice full of poison.

Erza, clearly not indimidated, leaned towards the mayor and whispered in an equally serious tone. "Let us help you. All we need are answers."

The man stared back at Erza, making her feel slightly uneasy. "I have nothing to tell you. You mages have already taught us to take care of our problems on our own."

It took her a second, but redhead's eyes slowly widened, as she read deeper into the mayor's words. Did he..?

"What have you done?" she hissed, her gauntleted hand gripping tightly on the counter.

The mayor put his glass down and leaned towards Erza, as they were now mere centimeters away from each other.

"Listen, kid. I've been watching these good people suffer for years. I've seen their children being taken away from them, I've seen their houses burn, I've seen women being repeatedly taken against their will right in front of their husbands. I was willing to give all the money I had, I was BEGGING the Council to help us. But they simply shrugged it off and left us alone with these monsters. So I've decided to step into their territory."

Erza was in shock. The mayor had no reason to lie, nothing to gain. How come none of these details ever found their way into the requests? Did someone from the Council cover this up? If only she knew what was happening here...

"To beat a monster, you need another monster. But I am not a mage, and I'm not ready to leave my people alone in this cruel world just yet. So if you can't fight the monster by becoming one, the answer is simple. You hire the monster."

Erza quickly shot back up to her feet. "Gray! Luc..."

A powerful explosion erupted in the city, as the shockwave hit the bar, breaking the glass in windows. Some people fell off their chairs, including Lucy. Erza quickly ran up to the window, looking for the source of the shockwave, but she didn't have to look too far - Dragon Claw's guildhall, which was just 200 meters away, was bursting in flames. People who got knocked out of the bulding by the explosion were crawling on the ground, twisting in agony as their clothes burned along with their skin. Erza quickly turned to face the mayor, who glared back at her - his eyes had no room for guilt or compassion. She didn't have to think twice to realise what was going on.

"He's here."

With that thought she jumped out of the window, with Gray and Lucy following her, as the ice mage quickly started extinguishing people and nearby houses while running.

Just before they reached the building, something broke out of it through the wall, as if thrown by someone with ridiculous force. That something turned out to be a rather tall, skinny man in a black coat, as he flew across the street and hit the building in front of the guild with enough force to crack its wall. He coughed up alot of blood, before sliding down the wall, landing on his bottom. His face was covered in blood and he clearly had internal damage, as he desperately gasped for air.

Upon seeing this, Lucy stopped running and covered her mouth, terrified. It all happened in a moment, leaving her with no time to mentally prepare herself. She couldn't get her eyes off the injued man, as he desperately tried to stand up, only to feel his legs buckle under his weight. Even Gray was shocked, despite having experience with brutal jobs. He instinctively got in front of Lucy, ready to defend her. Erza, on the other hand, remained calm and Reequipped a sword, expecting someone to come out the burning building.

She was right, as someone started coming out through the hole. It was clearly a man. His entire body was covered from toes to the top of his head. He was wearing black, heavy combat boots, with black military pants covering his lower body. His hands were covered in bandages, reaching up to his elbows, tied on top of his black, buttonless jacket's sleeves he was wearing under his dark-blue cloak. His mouth and nose were covered with a white scarf, pulled up so high it almost reached the dark-blue bandanna that sat on top of his head, leaving him with a very narrow gap to see through.

Upon emerging from the hole, the trio was suddenly met with his magical power. It felt as if gravity was suddenly increased, and Lucy's knees buckled under her from the weight of his power. Not bothering to fight it, she let herself drop to the ground, staring in fear at the man.

"What the hell is this?! I think I'm gonna throw up..." thought Gray, terrified. He never felt such disguistingly high magic, not even from people in his guild he himself considered monsters. He shifted his eyes to the knight standing in front of him, his previous confidence oozing out of him like air from a popped baloon. He gulped loudly, and took a step back. "I may be shitting my pants here, but this guy might be too much, even for Erza."

Erza, on the other hand, took a fighting stance. His magic was truly beyond powerful, but she couldn't back down. Not after seeing what he's capable of. She looked at unconsciouss men lying on the ground, covered in burns, feeling her hands tighten on her sword in anger - he had to be stopped, here and now. She glued her eyes back to his figure, expecting him to attack.

Salamander, however, didn't even notice them, as he continued making his way towards the beaten guild member. His eyes widened in fear, as Salamander finally closed the distance betwen them and put his hand around the man's throat, lifting him up just high enough to take the ground away from his feet. The skinny man wiggled his legs in the air, struggling to breathe as he wrapped his hands around Salamaner's arm, trying to loosen up his grip.

"Where are they?"

Salamander's voice was merciless and quiet. He stared deep into Dragon Claw member's eyes, waiting for his answer. Upon hearing none, he tightened his grip, strangling the man, before repeating the question, this time louder.

"I asked you, where are they..."

"HEY!"

Salamander slowly turned his head in direction of the shout, finally noticing the three mages looking his way. He quickly checked each of them out, before laying his eyes on the raven-haired man's guild mark located on his bare chest. Figuring out it wasn't him, he looked at the kneeling girl, dismissing her as well. That left him with a redhaired knight, pointing at him with her sword.

"Unhand him immediately." she hissed dangerously, glaring daggers into his eyes.

Salamander remained quiet for a while, before turning away from the readhead, focusing once again on the now purplefaced man he was still holding in his grasp.

"If you want to make yourselves useful, go downstairs. You'll find 8 missing girls chained up in the basement."

Erza's anger was now peaking, as she stepped towards the rogue mage, ready to strike at any moment.

"You're from Fairy Tail, right?" he asked Erza, looking in her direction "Go downstairs and call Rune Knights. I'm pretty sure these are the people you call when dealing with slavers."

The man he's been holding all this time lost consciousness, as his limp hands fell off Salamander's arm. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and threw him aside like a ragdoll.

"Look what you've done, now I have to get another one to interro..."

"Not another step."

Salamander glared at the knight, clearly irritated. Without him noticing she slowly, but surely closed the distance between them, as they were now only 5 meters away from each other. Sensing that a fight may be inevidable, he decided to calm the situation down.

"I don't want to fight you." he said truthfully. Fighting them would not only be dangerous for the village, but him as well. The woman in front of him was clearly on another level - holding back wouldn't be an option.

Tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Erza and Salamander just stood there, measuring each other up. One wanted to avoid combat, the other wondered if attacking was a wise choice. Behind Erza stood Gray, still on guard, with Lucy sitting awkwardly behind him on the ground.

Erza felt drops of sweat run down her face and it wasn't because of the heat. Now that she had slightly calmed down, she could analise the situation properly. Lucy was basically out of comission - probably for the best. Despite not seeing him in action, she knew Salamander was intelligent. In case of a fight, Lucy would be his first target, as she's clearly the weakest out of the trio. Gray, on the other hand, did not give in to the pressure - 2v1. With these numbers, there was still a chance. But was it really worth it? If what he said about the basement is true, fighting him may only prevent saving the victims. On the other hand, it could very well turn out to be a trap...

As Erza continued her brainstorm, Salamander realised talking to her was pointless, and started walking towards the guildhall.

"Wai-"

EVIL EXPLOSION!

Erza was suddenly knocked back by a powerful explosion. The blast was so strong she had to plunge her sword into the ground to prevent falling onto her butt. Gray freezed his legs and the ground beneath him to keep himself from getting blown away, as Lucy tightly hugged his leg, both of them staying in their positions. When the dust finally went down, Erza squinted and to her shock, she noticed Salamander with one of his knees on the ground. He was panting heavily, as his cloak fell off his shoulders, ripped beyond recognition. His dark-blue bandanna started to change color into dark scarlet, as drops of blood fell on top of his bandaged hand, which he used to support himself.

Salamander tried to get up, only to be interrupted by another sneak attack.

WATER LOCK!

A huge ball of water surrounded the fire mage, catching him by suprise, as he struggled to breathe. Seeing this as a golden opportunity, Gray quickly froze the water along with Salamander, locking him in an ice prison.

Erza simply stood there and watched how easily he was caught. More suprised than glad, she turned around and looked up to the rooftop, where three figures were standing.

"What the hell are you all doing here?" the knight asked.

New trio jumped down, letting Gray and Lucy to get a better look at them.

"Mira! Juvia, Gajeel!" gasped Lucy in relief, finally feeling strong enough to stand up. Gray sighed in relief as well, lossening his body up.

"Let's just say Gramps doesn't trust you enough." chuckled Gajeel, as he crossed his arms on his chest.

"Sure, tincan, keep dreaming." retorted Gray in mocking voice.

"Wanna go, ice fart?"

"Huh?!"

"Gray-sama, that was a splendid display of teamwork!" thrown in Juvia, getting inbetween the men, as they were already getting ready to fight.

"Yeah, sure. Ok."

Erza watched her friends bicker, as the air around them started to loosen up. All that tension from a minute ago was completely gone, allowing the redhead to finally take a deep breath. She then faced a demon looking white-haired girl that was walking towards her.

"How did you find us, Mira?"

Mira released her form and walked past Erza, not responding at first, irritating the Reequip mage. Mira simply walked up to Lucy and slapped her butt, making the blonde yelp in suprise. The TakeOver mage then removed her hand from Lucy's bottom and showed Erza her open palm, with something small lying in the center.

"Lacrima tracker. Master put it on you before you left." Mirajane explained shortly. "He planned on sending even more people, but we assured him we're enough. Though if I were you, I'd expect Laxus to catch up to us pretty soon."

"But did he really have to put it there?" Lucy asked quietly, but no one paid attention to her.

"So, now what?" asked Gray, as he walked up to the women with Juvia hanged around his arm. "Gramps told us to capture him and then wait for him. Do we take this guy to the guild?" he pointed at frozen Salamander.

"No. This thing is also a communicator. By pressing this button, Master will know it's his turn to step in." Mira responded, pressing the button in the meantime. "So now we wait."

"You know, the way Gramps hyped this guy up, I was expecting something exciting." Gajeel whined, dissatisfied with not getting a part in taking Salamander down.

"Um, guys..?" thrown in Lucy, her voice shaky.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Gajeel." scolded him Erza, ignoring Lucy. "We just got lucky, that's all."

"Guys..."

"We? You didn't do shit, fatass." mocked her Mira, giving Erza an angry tick.

"What did you say, you slut?!"

"Huh?!"

"GUYS!" yelled Lucy.

"What?!" asked her friends in unison, irritated by her screaming.

Lucy then pointed her finger behind them, her face overtaken with pure terror. Erza turned around, only to feel her eyes widen in shock as well.

The ice around Salamander began to crack. All 6 Fairy Tail mages watched as more cracks appeared on its surface, with more and more magical power getting out of the prison. Gray quickly joined his hands together, trying to fix the damage, but he was too late, as Salamander burst his prison open, sending sharp pieces of ice flying in every direction, as they plunged themselves into the ground, walls and flied into the now dark sky. Young mages watched him, as he panted heavily, his back turned in their direction. Taking a deep breath, the fire mage slowly turned around to face them. Erza once again Reequipped a sword, and in the corner of her eye she saw Gajeel transform his arm into an iron club.

Suddenly, gravity increased around them, suffocating Lucy once again, as she dropped to the ground even harder than before. Salamander released his magical power upon them, filling them all with terror - now even Erza felt sick. Despite having different thoughts and understandings of the situation, they all understood one thing - he was furious.

Salamander reached towards his mouth, making Mira quickly transform into her Satan Soul form. Fairy Tail mages put up their guards, anticipating his attack. Forcing herself to stand up and despite fear crawling all over her body, Lucy reached to her belt, unlocking her key bag, reading herself to fight. This time, there was no other way around it.

Salamander put his hand on his scarf and pulled it down, revealing his mouth. He then exhaled loudly and leaned back, inhaling as much air as possible, his magical power rising in the process.

"What the hell is he doing?!" asked Gray, watching him in confusion.

"Nothing pleasant, I'll tell you that." hissed Mira, reading herself to counterattack.

FIRE DRAGON'S...

Gajeel's eyes widened in pure terror, as his enhanced hearing allowed him to catch Salamander's words.

"You've got to be shitting me..." he muttered in shock, earning suprised looks from his friends.

ROAR!

A stream of destructive, almost purging fire came out of Salamander's mouth, coming towards Fairy Tail mages, catching them by suprise, as it burned everything on its path.

A gigantic explosion shook the entire village, as fire consumed the entire street, burning everything it touched. Salamander panted lightly, putting his scarf back on its place. He squinted his eyes, looking in his target's direction, as something was happening inside of the flames. Suddenly, his flames were cut in half, as a redhaired knight sliced it with her sword, much to Salamander's shock.

Shards of ice fell onto the ground, as remains of Gray's last minute ice shield shattered upon impact like a thin layer of ice on a puddle. However this bought enough time to allow Erza to Reequip into her Flame Empress Armor.

Erza lowered her sword, looking at her shaking arm. The sheer force of that attack was so great it left her arm numb, despite her 50% immunity to fire. Gripping her sword tighter and getting rid of the shaking, she looked behind her to check up on her friends.

"Are you alright?" she asked them, getting a thumbs up from Mira and Gray. Gajeel, on the other hand just stared at Salamander, dumbfound.

"You've gotta be shitting me..." he repeated, this time more angry than scared.

"What are you talking about, tincan?!" asked irritated Gray inbetween his breaths.

"He's no damn Fire Mage." gritted Gajeel. "He's a fucking Dragon Slayer. A Fire Dragon Slayer."

They all looked at him, suprised by his words.

"Dragon Slayer? You mean like you, Laxus and Wendy?" asked him Mira, shifting her gaze onto immobile Salamander.

He simply nodded. Erza looked at the man in front of her, thinking of their next move. They definitely needed numbers, however this portrayal of strenght was enough to make up her mind - he was not an opponent Lucy could possibly fight against. Not yet.

"Lucy, Juvia!" said girls looked at the knight. "Both of you go into the guildhall and head downstairs. If what's he's telling is true, you'll find kidnapped women in there. Make sure they're safe and don't come out until we're done here. We can't put them in danger." she ordered them.

Juvia nodded and grabbed Lucy by the arm, pulling her towards the ruins. As Erza expected, Salamander ignored them and focused on 4 mages standing before him.

"We're doing this together, understood?" Erza asked her guildmates, receiving approving nods from all of them. Salamander positioned himself, leaning towards the ground, ready to attack.

"On my signal." whispered Erza, as Salamander flexed his legs, ready to dash.

"NOW!" she yelled, as all five mages launched themselves from their positions.

The hardest fight of their lives has just begun.

End of Chapter 1. To be continued in Chapter 2 "Two Elements."


	2. Two Elements

Chapter 2: Two Elements

"NOW!"

At the exact same time, five mages launched from their positions, dashing forward. Running side by side, Gray and Gajeel rushed together at the rear, with Mirajane being slightly ahead of them and Erza taking the lead. Right in front of them was Salamander, charging at them like a raging bull.

The distance between them was rather big, however it didn't take them long to close it. Just mere meters away from her opponent, Erza positioned her sword near her left hip and kicked the ground as hard as she could, greatly increasing her speed and covering her teammates in dust.

Giving Salamander no time to react, Erza dashed right through him at incredible speed, cutting him across his left breast up to the shoulder. Blood splurged out of the fresh wound, as the force of the strike knocked him off balance, lifting his left leg from the ground as he began to fall onto his back. After a split second of shock, he regained his composure and planted his leg back on the ground. He turned around and grabbed the knight's ankle, locking it in a tight grip. Using brute strength, he swinged her body above his head and smashed her into the ground, knocking wind out of her lungs. He quickly got on top of her and took a swing with his right hand. Erza's eyes widened in shock, as she saw his fist making its way towards her face at incredible speed. Her head, spinning from the crash, and the current lack of oxygen left her unable to defend herself. Seeing there was nothing she could do at the moment, Erza grit her teeth, awaiting the strike.

But it never came. The Dragon Slayer smashed his fist into the ground right next to her face, spliting it in the process. His face was so close to hers, she could actually see his onyx eyes through the narrow gap between his bandanna and scarf. She stared at them, her own eyes wide open. "He missed on purpose? But...why?" she asked herself in thoughts.

"Please, I don't want to fight you. Just let me go." he whispered to her, his voice almost pleading.

"Too late, prick."

Upon hearing this voice, Salamander quickly turned around, only to be nailed by an iron club, as Gajeel smashed his right cheek with incredible strength. The Fire Dragon Slayer's head flied back with unnatural speed and angle, suprising even the Iron Dragon Slayer. "What the...did it affect him this much?"

"It didn't work." noticed Erza. At the very last moment before impact, Salamander twisted his neck and threw his head back, letting the club slide off his face, reducing the damage to minimum.

Rogue mage quickly twisted his head back to where it was, completely unhurt. He caught Gajeel's extended arm and pulled it towards himself, throwing a long hook with his left hand at the same time. Just before Salamander could land his punch, Erza kicked him in the stomach, knocking him into the air, which loosened his grip around Gajeel's arm, allowing him to snatch it out. Both Fairy Tail mages jumped back, as their opponent landed on his feet few meters away from them. Salamander lowered his arm, with Erza's foot imprinted on his bandages after blocking the blow.

Both parties took a deep breath, staring at each other, not moving an inch. Trying to think of their next move, Erza couldn't focus properly, as one thought clouded her mind.

"This man...is strong."

Lucy and Juvia entered the now reduced to rubble guildhall. Limp, unconscious bodies of Dragon Claw members laid all over the floor, as those capable of walking escaped the building in haste, some of them dragging their downed comrades towards the exit.

"That man did all of this?" asked Juvia, looking around the place.

"Yes. But for now, let's focus on our job." replied Lucy, her voice still shaking. She found a trapdoor just underneath a fallen pillar. With Taurus' help, she pushed it aside and grabbed the handle, pulling the heavy door upwards, revealing dusted stairs. Thinking to herself that Salamander wasn't lying about the guild having a basement, she and Juvia walked down a couple of stairs, only to feel ground above them shake heavily.

"I think it'd be safer if we closed the door." noticed Juvia, turning around. She grabbed the thick wood and pulled it down, closing the door behind them. It got much darker, the only light sources avaible being torches strapped to the wall, placed every 3 meters away from each other. Lucy grabbed one of them and pulled it out, using it to boost their vision. The stairs led them quite deep under the ground, as finally they could see their end, large door getting bigger with each step. Lucy pulled the door with all her strength, but it didn't even budge. Lightly pushing her aside, Juvia sliced the wood with her water. Lucy kicked the now cut wood with her foot and knocked a large piece down, granting them entrance. Lucy ducked under and walked into the room, only to feel her eyes widen in fear.

The room was seemingly empty, with the only visible object being a thick pipe, as long as the room itself. On this pipe, eight females were hanging, their feet 1 meter above the ground, their hands bound as chains between their cuffs were thrown over pipe, robbing them off any chances of escape. They were all fairly young, some of them not older than Wendy.

Lucy covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes tearing up. Juvia just stood beside her, just as shocked.

"How...how could they do this?" asked Lucy through her tears.

Juvia regained her composure and walked towards the girls. "We have to cut them down. They're not dead, just exausted and weak."

Lucy nodded and summoned Cancer, who helped Juvia cut them down. As he cut through the chains, Juvia caught them with her water, nullifying their fall. She placed them all by nearby wall, setting them in a row. Some of them were covered in bruises, clearly earned for fighting back. They were all underweight, their skin shrivelled up from dehydration.

"This is cruel." stated bluntly Juvia, anger building up inside of her. However her anger was not the first thing she had in mind - Salamander was telling the truth. Just what the hell was going on in here?

Suddenly, the youngest girl twitched, her eyes opening slowly, as Lucy immediately rushed to her side. Upon seeing the women, the girl curled herself up in fear, covering her face with her hands.

"No, please! I'm sorry!" she yelped in horror.

"We're not going to hurt you." said Juvia kindly, smiling to the girl. "We're here to help."

The girl looked at the blue-haired mage in confusion, shifting her gaze to Lucy. The blonde opened her bag and pulled out bottled woter, opening it and lifting it to the girl's mouth.

"Here, drink." she whispered. The girl quickly grabbed the bottle and started to drink with loud and big gulps, as if afraid Lucy will change her mind.

Upon drinking half from the bottle, she dropped her arms, panting heavily.

"You're safe now." said Lucy, putting her hand on top of the girl's head. Tears started to form up in her eyes, as she launched herself into Lucy's arms, sobbing loudly as she grabbed the blonde's blouse. Lucy quickly hugged her back, breaking down as well.

"You're safe now...you're safe.." she repeated, petting the girl's hair.

Tears forming in her eyes as well, Juvia checked on other girls. None of them were responding, as they were in here for far longer than this little girl.

"This is despicable."

Juvia turned around, only to see Lucy's enraged face, as she glared with fury in her teary eyes. "There are no words that can describe this cruelty. How could the Council let this happen?! These people have been begging for help for months! How could they miss something so obvious?!"

Juvia simply frowned, unable to respond to that. It was hard to disagree with the Celestial Mage.

"Let's stay here until they finish. Evacuating these women with these 5 monsters rampaging above is too dangerous." she said to Lucy, receiving a nod in response, the girl crying herself back to sleep in Lucy's arms.

"This prick.." growled Gajeel, glaring daggers at Salamander, as he and his guildmates stood right next to each other, panting.

They tried to gang up on him, overpowering him with numbers. However he simply dodged their attacks or made them crash into each other, making a 4v1 impossible to pull off.

"We won't get anywhere like this." whispered Erza to her friends, hoping Salamander doesn't hear her. "Instead of attacking him all at once, we'll split into pairs. Me and Mirajane, Gray and Gajeel. We'll be taking turns. It's much easier to coordinate our attacks with one partner, than three. Me and Mira will go first, you two follow up if we get into trouble."

Gray and Gajeel nodded, putting their rivarly aside. It wasn't the first time they had to work together against a foe.

"On my signal." muttered Erza.

Just when Erza readied herself to strike again, something flew right past her, as Mira dashed towards Salamander.

"Mira, wait!" she yelled after her friend, only to be ignored by the Demon. "This stubborn idiot!"

She threw a powerful punch to Salamander's face, only to have it blocked, as he raised his left forearm to protect himself. The Demon immediately followed with her left hand, this time going for a hook. But her plans were interrupted, as before she could take a swing, Salamander's fist was centimeters away from her face. Dodging at the last moment, she felt his strike go right past her left ear, wind finding its way into her ear drum. With his arm extended over her head, she immediately followed through, this time throwing a right uppercut, aiming for his chin. Suddenly, she felt her own chin flying upwards, as Salamander kneed her right under her jaw, knocking her body upwards. Not even a second later, he felt his head ring like a bell, as Mirajane retaliated with a right hook to his temple. Both mages stopped for a moment, shaking off the damage. Once they recovered, they stared each other in the eye for a second, before dashing forward with incredible strength, as their forearms crashed, both of them mirroring each other's movements.

An incredible exchange of blows and kicks erupted between the two mages, their movements becoming almost a blur, neither giving the other even a moment of rest, with the Dragon Slayer's flames appearing seemingly out of nowhere, both from his missed and landed attacks.

"Shit, I don't see any openings." gritted Gajeel through his teeth, watching the two mages slug it out.

"Neither do I." growled Gray, angry at his lack of commitment to the fight. "Still, they're both incredible, I can't even follow their movements."

"Me too." admitted Gajeel under his nose, his anger rising.

Suddenly, Salamander's head was blown back, as the white-haired mage landed a right straight to his jaw. However, he quickly answered back by connecting an uppercut into her stomach, making her cough up some spit. After that, they resumed the exchange, their movements once again becoming unreadable.

"She's doing it! She can take him down!" cheered Gray, as watching his friend put up a fight against a guy he thought was unbeatable filled him with confidence.

"Wrong."

Both Gajeel and Gray looked at Erza in suprise, as she stared at the fight with a frown glued to her face.

Being stronger than the males, she had much more insight into the situation. Although she had to admit she was suprised with her rival's skills, she knew it wasn't enough. Despite putting up a great fight, Mirajane was receiving more hits than he was. Her Satan Soul was a powerful and tough form, but in terms of toughness, this man was on another level. She looked at her sword, gripping it tightly as she remembered the feeling she felt when she cut him - despite putting alot of strength behind that slash, the cut she gave him was shallow. Dragon Slayers were known for their tough bodies, necessary to contain their destructive magic. Back when they used to spar, Laxus would catch attacks from her weaker armors with his bare hands, despite being her equal. Even if Mira was tough, sooner or later her body will give in, leaving her at his mercy. Stepping in to help her was currently out of the question. Despite having his hands full with Mira, the Dragon Slayer was paying attention to other three mages, positioning himself in a way that prevented them from helping their friend. He clearly had alot of experience in fighting multiple opponents at once. Cursing her powerlessness, she gripped her sword so hard her knucles hurt and focused on the fight, readying herself to jump in at first chance.

"I hate to say it, but there's nothing we can do now. If we attack him, there's a chance we will hit Mira." she told her friends through her teeth. "For now, we must forget the plan and place our trust in her. As soon as there's an opening, we're going in."

Both males nodded, waiting for their chance to jump in.

Erza's prediction came true, as Mirajane's movements started to rapidly drop in speed, as now she couldn't land a single hit. Salamander, on the other hand, started landing more hits, injuring the Demon even further. He swiftly dodged her right kick by sidestepping to his left and nailed her with his right elbow, bloodying her nose and knocking her back in the process. Mirajane shook her head to clear her nostrills from blood and dashed forward, throwing an extended left straight. Dragon Slayer dodged it, slipping his head to his left.

Erza's eyes widened upon seeing this. What he just did was a common mistake, as he placed his head in the opposite direction of where it should be, right in the middle of Mirajane's space, giving her a perfect chance to stike. Did he have a plan...?

With Mirajane's arm still over his right ear, Salamander swinged his right arm above hers, aiming his cross counter at her unguarded temple.

Erza's eyes widened in shock: if that hits her, it's over. She had no way of blocking it, this scenario was just perfect for him. Fear growing inside of her chest, the knight felt her feet leave the ground against her will, rushing towards her friend.

Suddenly she stopped in her tracks, as she witnessed the Dragon Slayer's punch being stopped - Mira bent her elbow and locked it into Salamander's, killing his punch. His eyes widened in suprise, as he pushed his arm forward in vain. Keeping his right arm locked, the Demon raised her free arm, ready to strike back.

"You're mine!" she thought, her fist mere centimeters away from his unguarded jaw.

Salamander raised his left arm, putting up a guard. He then arched his back, narrowing his figure in the process and pushed his locked arm towards Mira's face. Despite using the exact same amount of strength she used to lock his arm, Mira was unable to contain his sudden growth in power, as he smashed his fist into her left cheekbone, knocking her body back in the process, as her lip and nose left rivers of blood in the air.

"What the hell?!" yelled Gray, shocked. "How?! She had him!"

For a moment, Erza forgot this man was an enemy, as she couldn't help but find this move amazing. When he threw that wide swing earlier, his left side was completely unguarded, as his left arm was around his waist. This extended his chest muscles, not allowing him to draw in their full power. By putting up his guard up and arching his back, he narrowed his muscles, giving himself a tremendous boost in power, allowing him to easily bypass Mira's block.

Mirajane, seemingly knocked out, suddenly put up her hand, placing it right in front of Salamander's face.

EVIL EXPLOSION!

The attack hit him point blank, as both his and the Demon's bodies have been blown back by its force. Mirajane flipped in the air and landed on her side, rolling on the ground, seemingly out of comission. Salamander, on the other hand, landed on his back, sliding on the ground. As he finally stopped, he turned around onto his stomach, and pushed his knees under his torso, trying to get up. Upon succeeding, he straightened himself up, looking at the ground and panting heavily, as blood dripped onto the ground from his fresh head wound. His bandanna was blown away and his scarf slid onto his neck, leaving his face exposed. Grimacing from pain, he turned around to face Fairy Tail mages, revealing his covered in blood face and pink hair.

ICE MAKE: WARHAMMER!

Not giving him a chance to recover, Gray joined the battle, smashing his ice weapon into fire mage's torso. His attack was blocked, as the Dragon Slayer crossed his arms on his stomach at the last moment, reducing the damage. Igniting his fists, he smashed the hammer like glass, stepping in towards the ice mage, ready to strike back. However Gray was ready, and as soon as Salamander stepped in, he was met with an ice spear making its way straight towards his face. Barely dodging, the spear grazed his cheek, leaving a small cut. Continuing his dash, he closed the distance between him and Gray and pulled his arm back, ready to strike.

FIRE DRAGON'S...

Salamander's head was blown back once again, as covered in iron scales Gajeel nailed an iron club into his right temple. Losing balance, he was forced to run in an awkward way to prevent his body from falling onto the ground. Just when he regained his footing and turned back around, he found two mages throwing themselves at him with their fists, Gray's covered in ice, forming hardened gloves. A wild exchange of punches, kicks and blocking erupted between the trio, as ice, fire and pieces of iron splashed all over the area. Fairy Tail mages were pressing the Dragon Slayer hard, not giving him a chance to strike back, forcing him to block and dodge their attacks.

Gajeel turned his right arm into a sword and slashed horizontally at Salamander, making him lean backwards at a ridiculous angle. He didn't get to recover from this position, as he found Gray right above him, smashing his ice fists like a hammer into his chest, crashing him into the ground. Feeling air leave his lungs, Salamander looked up, only to see both of his opponents right above him, pulling their arms back and ready to strike. In one quick motion, he lit his legs on fire, brought his knees to his chest and kicked upwards, his feet planting themselves under both men's chins, knocking them upwards. Shifting his weight backwards, he landed on all fours and watched as Gray and Gajeel landed on their feet, blood dripping from their lips, inside of their mouths cut.

Salamander quickly launched himself towards them, catching them off guard. He closed in to Gray and put his open palm on the man's bare chest.

FIRE DRAGON'S GRIP ATTACK!

Gray's body was blown away by an explosion of fire, severely burning him in the process, as he crashed into a nearby house. Using this as a chance, Gajeel attacked Salamander from the side, seemingly blindsiding the rogue mage..

IRON DRAGON'S HARD FIST!

FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!

Ground split beneath them, as both Dragon Slayers smashed their fists against each other. Flames and shards of iron shot into the air, as both men grit their teeth, neither budging an inch. Suddenly, Gajeel felt himself being pushed backwards, as his scales began to break under pressure of Salamander's strength. Gritting his teeth in pain, Gajeel threw another punch with his left fist, only to have Salamander smash into it with his right hand. Unable to completely overpower each other like this, both men interwinted their fingers, pressing against each other at full strength. Roaring furiously, both men began a power struggle, their feet sinking deeper and deeprer into the ground. Gajeel felt every muscle in his body tense up in response to his opponent's power. He felt himself push Salamander back, as the fire mage took a short step backwards. Feeling that, Salamander lit his whole body on fire, gripping Iron Dragon Slayer's hands even harder, cracking his scales. Growling in pain, Gajeel felt his knees slowly shifting towards the ground under Salamander's strength, his scales cracking even further with each second. Knowing that he will lose this power struggle, Gajeel puffed his cheeks out, ready to launch his attack point blank.

IRON DRAGON'S...

Gajeel's head was blown upwards, as Salamander delivered a powerful kick under his chin, stopping his roar before it got out of his mouth. Gajeel started to fall backwards, as Salamander let go of his damaged hands, scales falling off his body, revealing his bruised palms. Fire Dragon Slayer let his opponent fall to the ground, not attacking him any further. Panting heavily, he kept his eyes on his downed opponent.

He didn't get to rest for long, as the last thing his eyes registered before his body instinctively dodged, was an edge of a red sword making its way towards his face - Erza used the opportunity to catch him off guard, slashing at him with incredible strength. Salamander jumped back, breathing loudly as damage he received up until this point was starting to build up. Not giving him a chance to recover, the knight quickly dashed towards him, expecting him to jump back once again. At this point, tiring him out was the wisest choice. To her suprise, instead of juimping back, he stepped in, quickly closing the distance between them. He smashed his left shoulder into her figure, rendering her unable to strike with her sword. Pressing against her, Salamander quickly rotated his body and despite mere centimeters between them, he delivered a powerful punch to her left side, slightly denting her armor.

Erza gasped, feeling dull pain take over left side of her stomach. Feeling this position was too dangerous for her, she jumped back, creating distance betwen them. However as soon as her feet touched the ground, Salamander dashed again, smashing himself against her body yet again. This time, however, he immediately followed through with another body blow, hitting the same place as before, denting the armor even further, drilling it into her body. Erza grimaced in pain, as she lifted her sword arm and brought it down onto his back, smashing it with her sword handle, immediately jumping backwards afterwards.

"Closing in against a long ranged weapon...a wise choice." she praised him in her thoughts, clutching her aching stomach as she panted lightly. "He's not giving me enough time to get in position. He already figured out this armor restrains his flames, so instead of using them, he focuses his magic into his fists, boosting his physical strength. This armor does not grant me enough speed to retreat safely. Changing out of it would be my best option. However, if I Reequip into another armor, I may have problems with his fire..."

Salamander used this chance to regain his breath, staring at Erza with his eyes half open. He was definitely reaching his limit, his body getting heavier and heavier with each minute

Regaining her breath, Erza took a fighting stance, thinking about her next move. Salamander's strength was a testimony of pure training and experience. Despite being an enemy, she couldn't help but respect this person. If it's to defeat this powerful foe, she was willing to take a risk.

REQUIP: HEAVEN'S WHEEL ARMOR!

White light covered the redhead's entire body, blinding Salamander. When it faded away, Erza sprunged her wings, as dozens of swords appeared behind her back. Salamander's eyes widened in shock upon seeing the amount of weapons she possessed. He grit his teeth, fighting the pain, as flames once again covered his entire body.

"Like I thought, as soon as I changed into another armor, he unsealed his flames." thought Erza. "I'm ending this, here and now!"

Requip mage pointed her sword at Salamander, as blades behind her hand began to spin.

"Dance, my bla-"

Just before she could strike, something flew right past her, as Mirajane dashed towards Salamander once again, getting in Erza's line of fire. This time, she used her wings to greatly increase her speed, as she held her hands behind her torso, building up her magic.

Upon seeing the Demon charge him head on, the Dragon Slayer leaned back, puffing his cheeks out. Knowing this position all too well, Erza's eyes widened in terror, as she yelled after her friend.

"Mira, dont!"

SOUL EXTIN-

FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!

Salamander's flames consumed everything on their path, quickly catching up to the white-haired mage. Knowing she doesn't have enough time, she threw her incomplete attack into the flames, causing an explosion mere two meters away from her figure, evading being completely consumed by flames. However that wasn't enough, as the explosion was so powerful it leveled all houses nearby, sprawling them like thin cardboard. Erza struggled to stay in position, her wings not strong enough to fight the wind pressure. A giant cloud of dust has risen where the explosion occured, greatly reducing the knight's field of view.

"Mirajane!" she called after her friend in despair. Being closest to the blast, she was in grave danger..

Suddenly something flew out of the dust, as Mirajane's limp body, still in her demon form, crashed into nearby ruins. Erza wanted to go to her friend, however she could still sense Salamander's magical power, meaning he was not defeated just yet. She shifted her attention at the dust cloud, her opponent still behind it. This turned out to be a good decision, her eye spotting movement in the smoke, as Salamander dashed towards her with incredible speed. This speed suprised her, as she only had enough time to send three swords his way, only for him to duck right under them.

FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!

Closing the distance, he delivered a powerful punch to her unguarded stomach. Erza coughed up some blood, as Salamander sent her flying right into the last remaining building in the alley, crashing it down in the process.

Breathing heavily, he closed his eyes in exaustion, his head wound constantly oozing blood, weakening him. His ear twitched, as he heard footsteps behind him. Quickly turning around, he noticed Gray and Gajeel running towards him. Fear grasping his chest, he tried to back up, in hopes of buying at least couple more seconds of rest. His plan failed however, as he couldn't bring his feet up. Looking down, his eyes widened in terror, as he noticed ice covering his legs up to his knees, sprawling all over the ground. With no time to break out, he braced himself for impact.

IRON DRAGON'S LANCE: DEMON LOGS!

Gajeel launched 7 sharp iron spears in the fire mage's direction. Unable to dodge, he put up his arms, as the blades plunged themselves in his flesh, two blocked by his forearms, and one hitting his right shoulder. Fourth grazed his left thigh, as three remaining spears missed their target. Setting his feet on fire and flexing his arms, Salamander broke the ice around his legs and pushed the blades out of his body simultaneously. He then grabbed the blade still sitting in his shoulder and pulled it out in one, swift movement. This cost him dearly, as he failed to notice charging Gray, who smashed Salamander in the face with his ice gauntlet, staggering the Dragon Slayer.

Salamander took couple steps back, his vision blurry, as Gray's attack messed up his nose. With tears in his eyes he shifted his gaze back onto his opponents, only to see them right in front of his face yet again.

ICE MAKE: GAUNTLET!

IRON DRAGON'S HARD FIST!

Fairy Tail mages planted their fists deep into Salamander's stomach, making the man cough up alot of blood, blowing him back in the process. He remained on his feet, sliding on the ground, however his body buckled over, blood dripping onto the ground from his open mouth. Seeing this as a golden opportunity to finish him off, both males dashed once again, reading up exact same attacks they used a second ago.

Suddenly, Salamander started to loudly breath through his gritted teeth, almost growling. He quickly shot his head up, his covered in blood face twisted with pure fury, his eyes still alive. He stepped in towards Fairy Tail mages, and delivered a swift and powerful punch right under Gajeel's left ear, roaring like an animal. Iron Dragon Slayer's eyes covered with mist, as he fell onto his face, rocked. Just when Salamander was about to counter Gray as well, beaten up Mirajane sneaked up on him from behind, locking him in a nelson.

"Now, Gray!" she yelled struggling to keep the rampaging Dragon Slayer in her grip. "Take him down!"

Before Gray could attack immobile Salamander, the fire mage jumped backwards, with Mirajane still strapped to his back. Leaning towards the ground, he put up his legs and ignitted them on fire. Turning his feet into thrusters, Salamander crashed himself and Mira into the ground, with enough force to split the surface beneath them. TakeOver mage gasped loudly, all the remaining air she had escaping her body, her eyes losing their focus, as her mind faded into unconsciousness. Dropping out of her Satan Soul, her grip loosened, allowing the Dragon Slayer to get back up and turn around, his hand ready to strike.

"Don't!" yelled Gray, rushing to help his friend. And to his shock, Salamander complied. Upon seeing the woman's defeated figure, he stopped his attack mid-way through, freezing in place. After a moment, he turned around to face the ice mage, ready to fight him. But once again, that's not what his eyes found.

In her Flight Armor, Erza crashed into Salamander, kicking his chest with both legs, sending him flying. Trying to stop himself, he planted his fingers into the ground, leaving claw-like marks on its surface, his shoulders crying from pain. This allowed him to stop himself from crashing, as he stopped just in front of ruins of a house. Hearing something making its way towards him, he quickly shot his head up, only to see a furious knight staring him down.

REQUIP! she yelled, white light covering her figure once again, blinding Salamander. Once she stopped changing into another armor, he opened his eyes, only to feel them widen in pure terror, fear reaching every inch of his body.

PURGATORY ARMOR!

As soon as she Requipped, Erza brought down her spiked mace into Salamander. He quickly crossed his arms over his head, igniting them on fire, catching the blow with his already damaged forearms. The strength of this strike was so great it drilled his feet into the ground, as he yelled out loudly in pain, feeling his bones crack.

Erza's eyes widened in suprise, shocked that he managed to block this strike. Gripping her weapon even tighter, she pressed harder, grinding him into the ground even further, as his knees started to buckle.

"With this, I will end it!" she shouted in her thoughts, gritting her teeth as veins popped on her forehead, blood flowing down her face from her wound, very similiar to Salamander's. She pushed down with all her strength, bending the Dragon Slayer like a pocket knife, as his muscles cried out in agony. With his knees mere centimeters away from the ground, he suddenly roared furiously, his magical power rising, as flames once again covered his entire body. In one, powerful move, he used remaining strength of his entire body, shooting himself up and shaking Erza's attack off in the process. Blood splurged all around him, his torn, bloodied bandages falling onto the ground, sliding off his purple and swollen skin, as he knocked Erza's mace out of her palms, launching it into the air.

Erza shook off her shock almost immediately, as she stepped towards him, delivering a powerful kick to his neck. Salamander's body was knocked to his right, as he extended his right leg, preventing himself from falling. He faced Erza, ready to strike back, only to get punched in the exact same spot once again. His body bowed to the knight, his ears ringing, as black curtain started to cover his eyes. With barely any strength left in him, he lifted his head upwards, trying to attack her back.

Erza raised her arms above her head, grabbing her left hand with her right, and brought them down onto the back of Dragon Slayer's head, crashing into it with enormous force. His legs buckled under the weight of this blow, as he was now kneeling on the ground in front of the knight. As he pathetically tried to get up, Erza repeated the motion and crashed into the back of his head once again, creating a small crater beneath them. With just his right hand and left knee preventing him from falling, Salamander still tried to get up, unable to lift his own body weight. Roaring loudly from anger and pain, Erza lifted her right leg as high as she could, and brought it down onto his head, stomping him into the ground. Panting heavily, she raised her leg once again, ready to kick him for the second time.

"Erza, stop!" someone called out to her. "He's had enough!"

Breathing loudly, Erza looked in direction of the voice, noticing Gray, as he stared at her with fear written all over his face. But he wasn't afraid of Salamander - he was afraid of her. Looking down, she felt her eyes widen.

Salamander stopped moving, his figure grinded into the ground, as he laid unconscious by Erza's feet. Breathing loudly, she was slowly calming herself down, adrenaline wearing off, the weight of what she's just done starting to weigh in on her. Her eyes teared up as she looked at her armored hands, covered in the fire mage's blood, guilt and disguist clutching her heart - she actually tried to kill this man. She looked to her right, where Gray was, as he just stood there, his shocked eyes still glued to her figure. Unable to look him in the eye, she shook her head to the side, Requipping back into her Heart Kreuz Armor, making her way to check up on her friends. Memories she tried to seal away resurfaced yet again - she had to keep herself busy to swat them away.

Gajeel was already back on his feet, although staggering and tripping. Making his way towards Erza and Gray, he waved his hand as a sign of "I'm ok." Mirajane was right where she was, still unconscious. Her body was covered in burns, bruises and cuts. Without doubt she took the biggest punishment, engaging Salamander on her own, the wounds she inflicted on his body being a key to his defeat.

"Gajeel, can you...?" Erza asked the Dragon Slayer, her eyes glued to the ground, pointing at beaten Salamander with her thumb.

"Yeah." he muttered, passing her as he dropped onto his ass right next to Salamander and started to wrap him around in iron bars.

While Gajeel was restraining the rogue mage, Erza wiped her eyes off and looked around. The village was basically destroyed. More than half buildings have been leveled with the ground, and the remaining houses were heavily damaged. Dragon Claw's guildhall was now a complete ruin, thick trapdoor to the basement locked tightly, with Lucy, Juvia and the kidnapped women inside. With no bodies to be seen, Erza figured out the villagers and beaten guild members evacuated the village as soon as the fight started. Since the mayor knew Blackhill would become a battleground, he definitely must have had a contingency plan.

Gajeel finished restraining Salamander, as he wrapped him from his collarbones to his hips in iron bars. He pushed the beaten rogue mage upwards, making him sit on the ground, his limp head hanging above the soil.

Looking around, Gray walked up to Erza, clutching his aching arm.

"I'm glad you told Lucy and Juvia to hide." he told her. "This was just messed up."

"No shit." growled Gajeel, limping in their direction. "Punk had way too much energy. I'm suprised he's even breathing after a beating like that."

Erza simply bit her lip in response. She did it again. She broke her promise to Master. Her friends definitely were not in mortal danger - despite everything they did to him, Salamander was not fighting to kill. She couldn't blame him for hurting her friends, even if she wanted to - they have attacked him. Hating him for defending himself would not only be stupid, but it'd make her a hypocrite. And yet when he struck her, when she saw blood leave her mouth, and a red curtain cover her right eye, that eye, her nightmares resurfaced, as she snapped. She tried to kill an already defeated opponent.

Erza grabbed her arms, hugging herself, as the thought of Gray not being there to stop her made her body shiver.

"I say we wait for Gramps." said Gray, him and Gajeel discussing their next move. "The villagers have evacuated, and Lucy and Juvia are safe. There's nothing we can do more."

"I guess." retorted Gajeel, massaging his aching jaw. "Can't you use your ice on her? She's the main reason we took this bastard down." he asked, pointing at Mira with his thumb.

"A good idea from tincan? Did that guy knock some sense into that thick head of yours?" asked him mockingly Gray, raising his eyebrows.

"Screw you. I'm too tired to deal with your shit." sighed the Dragon Slayer. "What do you think Old Man's planning to do with him?" he asked Erza, only to be ignored.

"Probably lock him up in the guild. I still don't know why he wants to talk to this guy, he's just another-"

Gray stopped talking as he stared at something, his eyes widening in terror. "You're fucking kidding me, right?" he asked no one in particular in low voice.

Gajeel noticed that and turned around, his eyes shooting open as well. Erza was too lost in her thoughts to notice, and only Gajeel's yell shook her up.

"TITANIA!"

Redhead's head quickly turned around in his direction, waking her up. Before she could ask her friends what was wrong, she already knew the answer, immediately Requipping a sword.

Salamander stood up from his spot, still bound. He breathed through his teeth loudly, making animal-like sounds, as blood dripped from his open mouth onto the ground. His eyes were focused on the trio, fire crawling out of his skin, as he covered his entire figure in flames. His restraints began to crack, as he tried to force his way out.

"On my signal! He's too weak to fight back! This time, we-" Erza's orders were interrupted, as Salamander destroyed lower bars clutching his body, sending pieces of metal flying in all directions. He panted heavily, his body still covered in flames, as he tried to get rid of remaining restraints.

Gray rushed towards the rogue mage, smashing his fist into his open palm.

"Gray, wait!" Erza yelled after him.

"He's so weak he will go down from a push! I can freeze him in place and knock him out!" he screamed back, icy mist covering his body.

But he was too late. With one last push, Salamander broke through remaining iron bars surrounding his figure, as they fell to the ground with a loud thud. His flames not burning out, he breathed deeply. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he roared into the night sky. It was so loud, Gajeel's head felt like it was going to split, and even Erza had to cover her ears, grunting from pain. It wasn't a human scream - it sounded like a cornered animal, who had nothing to lose.

Salamander's roar came to an end, along with his flame cloak, making Fairy Tail mages think he had finally burned out. But not even two seconds later, his body blew up, with an aura even bigger than before tugging around his figure, as a cloak of flames and lightning covered his body entirely. Roaring loudly once again, he launched himself towards Gray at inhuman speed, backfisting the raven-haired mage into his liver, immediately knocking him out. Gray's body was sent flying to the side, as he crushed into rubble.

"Impossible..." whispered terrified Gajeel, witnessing his guildmate being blown away like a fly.

Salamander inhaled his elemental cloak back into his mouth, puffing his cheeks, as he leaned back.

LIGHTNING FLAME DRAGON'S ROAR!

A tornado of fire and lightning launched itself of his mouth, reducing the ground beneath into nothing. Gajeel simply sat there and watched death approach him, not even budging to run, or defend himself.

Salamander's roar made contact, as it splattered all around the village - Erza Requipped into her Adamantine Armor and got in front of Gajeel, protecting both him and Mirajane from the blast. The knight's feet planted themselves deep into the ground, as she used everything she had to push against this powerful attack.

"No, not yet! I won't give up!" she encouraged herself, as she felt her shields crack from the pressure.

After couple more seconds of struggle, Salamander's attack died down. Before it dispelled, it shattered Erza's shields into tiny pieces, blowing her gaunlets up as well. Sharp pieces of metal planted themselves deep into her now exposed skin, as she dropped to her knees. Panting heavily and her eyes tearing up from the pain, she laid her limp, destroyed arms on her lap. Forcing herself, she lifted her head up and looked at Fire Dragon Slayer with her teary eyes, awaiting his next move. He just stood there, exausted, his magic barely above zero. Fury leaving his eyes, he looked at his shaking hands. He then looked back at Erza, meeting her gaze.

The knight's eyes widened, as she noticed his eyes, overtaken by guilt. The previously animal-like orbs were gone, replaced with teary, onyx eyes. They stared at each other for just a few seconds, but to them, it felt like hours. Pink rivers ran down his cheeks, as he mouthed something to the redhead, before a wall of flames appeared before his body. Once it dispelled, Salamander was nowhere to be found, as he retreated.

Erza brought her head down and leaned her body towards the ground, meeting it with her forehead.

Lucy and Juvia came out of the basement, which was suprisingly close to their friends location. Both women shot their eyes wide open in shock upon seeing the state the village was in. Celestial Mage then caught her teammates with her eyes, and immediately rushed towards them. Noticing the state Mirajane was in, she ran up to the downed mage and called out to her worringly, taking in the extent of her injuries.

Erza's body started to shake hardly every few seconds, as she could no longer contain her pent up emotions. She had reached her limit, everything flowing out at once, as she just sobbed to herself out of frustration, guilt, pain, anger and confusion.

Today, in this place, they have lost.

An hour later, both Rune Knights and Fairy Tail reinforcements have arrived. Makarov brought along Wendy, Levy, Elfman and Lisanna. Upon arriving, both parties didn't even know where to start. Lahar split his forces into 5 groups, sending two medics with each of them. One group went after Salamander, another accompanied Lucy and Juvia downstairs, third patched up and arrested present Dragon Claw members, fourth protected evacuated villagers, and fifth stayed with Fairy Tail mages. Wendy immediately ran towards Erza and her heavily damaged hands, but the redhead sent her to Mirajane instead, as her injuries were much more lethal. She herself settled in with a Council medic, who, after patching her head up, carefully pulled shards of metal from her arms. While receiving treatment, she told everything that happened to Makarov, with Lahar standing nearby.

Makarov sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. Cursing his incompetence, he walked up to Erza and placed his hand on her armored shoulder.

"I'm sorry, my child. I've forced a far too heavy burned onto your shoulders." he whispered sorrowly, unable to look her in the eye.

"Please, raise your head, Master." she asked him. "We came here prepared. None of us regrets being here today."

Erza grimaced, as the medic pulled out the last piece of her armor, cleaning her arms from blood.

"I hope you're prepared to face the consequences, Makarov-dono." said Lahar, looking at the elder from behind his glasses. "As grateful as we are for exposing Dragon Claw, you have officially broken the Council's laws. A trial is inevidable."

"I'm well aware of this fact." answered Makarov through his teeth.

Erza frowned, watching her hands being stitched up. She looked to her right, where Wendy was healing Mirajane, Upon seeing his big sister in this state, Elfman snapped and they barely managed to keep him away from chasing after the Dragon Slayer. Now, he was sitting right beside Mira, holding her hand in his own, as Wendy has already dealt with majority of her wounds. Gray and Gajeel were fine, with no major injuries on their bodies. Their pride, however, was a different matter.

Gajeel was just sitting on the ground, his hands and head covered in bandages, as Levy gave him first aid(much to his annoyance) and some iron to regain his strength. He wasn't listening to the bookworm, who was sitting right next to him worried, as he just stared at his hands with a scowl glued to his face.

"...are you listening, Gajeel?" asked him Levy for the third time.

He ignored her and looking at Makarov, he asked. "Can we go back already?"

Makarov didn't answer him, looking at Lahar questionably. Lahar looked around the place for a while, before responding.

"It appears we have dealt with the situation. Truth to be told, I should be bringing you, and your members in for what happened here, but I suppose there's no need for that. We will send an official to inform you of the Council's decision. I think we can all leave for our homes in 30 minutes."

"You heard the man." said Makarov, looking at Gajeel. The Dragon Slayer punched his hand in response.

"Good. There's a certain asshole I have to talk with."

Two soldiers passed them by, leading a chained up mayor towards the prison carriage.

"What is to become of him?" asked Erza, watching the small man.

"He is accused of dealing with criminals and being partly responsible for the destruction of Blackhill Village." responded Lahar.

Erza frowned sadly. She understood his intentions. For those he loved, he decided to reject his personal good and stepped into a dangerous territory. Seeing no guilt or shame in his eyes, she felt slightly better.

Just like Lahar said, 30 minutes later Council carriages have appeared, ready to transport all casualties to safe destinations. Eight kidnapped females have been sent to a hospital, already plugged to IV's. Wendy used up all of her magic, but in exchange, she healed Mirajane to the point where she could walk on her own, although Elfman was more than willing to lend her a shoulder. Her right arm was in an arm sling, cooling bandaids glued to her not yet healed minor burns.

After being patched up, Fairy Tail mages were sent directly to the next train station, all of them sitting in a carriage. Shortly after, they were aboard a train, traveling in complete silence, all of them tired and shaken up. Erza was staring at her bandaged hand, completely spacing out. She lightly made a fist, shifting her gaze onto the window, staring at the red, full moon peeking from behind clouds, as she remembered Salamander's last words to her.

"I'm sorry."

To be continued in Chapter 3: Aftermath.


	3. Aftermath

Two days have passed since the incident in Blackhill Village. Fairy Tail mages have arrived back in Magnolia in the middle of the night, their travel passed in silence. Upon arriving at their destination, Makarov ordered them to not come to the guild for couple days and stay in their homes and focus on recovering. None of them had any strength or will to argue, as they just nodded with depressed faces. Not even a minute later, they all left for their homes, Elfman and Lisanna supporting Mirajane. Erza walked back to her apartment in Fairy Hills, Juvia right next to her. Upon arriving, both women wished each other good night and locked themselves in their rooms.

November 20th, Fairy Hills, Magnolia

Erza stepped out of her shower and walked up to the misty mirror, clearing its surface with her hand. She was met with a tired and pale face, her brown eyes squinted and red, burning from fatigue, with slight bags right under her lower eyelids. She had trouble sleeping for the past two days, as she couldn't calm her mind, questions circling all over her brain. Seeing as sitting in one place for any longer is meaningless, Erza decided to go to the guild, relax and talk to Master about her troubles if possible.

Leaning towards the mirror, she looked at her forehead, the wound she received during the battle neatly closed. There was no need for further treatment, but her hands were a different matter.

Hissing from pain, she undid her bandages, revealing stitched, wounded arms. She let the dirty cloth fall onto the floor, as she rotated her arms before her eyes, examining her injuries. They were healing very well, even if slower than usual, but they'd definitely leave scars, increasing her "collection" even further.

"I think they will fit to each other." she muttered to herself sarcastically, her eyes glued on old, round scars going all around both of her wrists. Spacing out for a while, she shook her head and grabbed fresh bandages, wrapping them around her arms. As she was done wrapping her second arm, with the corner of her eye she noticed something in the mirror.

"Oh. I forgot about this." she whispered, gently sliding her fingers on the left side of her naked stomach where a giant, already yellowish bruise was placed. Never in her life was she more grateful to herself for wearing armor than she was now. The morning after their return, Erza found herself unable to straighten her torso, with the entire left side of her stomach up to her breast covered in a bloody purple bruise. However some rest and ointment allowed Erza to walk properly without clutching her side every couple seconds the next day, and now the pain was almost completely gone.

After treating all of her remaining injuries, Erza dried her hair with a towel, before Requipping into her usual armor. Just as she was walked out of the bathroom, she heard someone knock on her door.

"Erza? May I come in?" asked a voice, which Erza recognized belonged to Juvia.

The redhead crossed her apartment and opened the door, the water mage standing in front of her.

"Can I help you?" Erza asked Juvia, slightly suprised. She rarely had any guests.

"I was about to go to the guild, and I thought we could...go together?" Juvia asked her shyly, unsure of the redhead's mood. The image of crying Erza was still imprinted on her mind.

"I don't see why not. I'm ready to go." Erza smiled in response.

Juvia sighed internally in relief, happily nodding to the redhead. Soon after, they left for the guild

Their walk went by relatively fast, as they engaged each other in a friendly conversation. Both women tried to avoid mentioning the incident, wiling to move on. Before Erza noticed, she was standing in front of the guild, with a curtain of black, long hair disappearing behind the door, as Gajeel entered the building few seconds before her. Taking a deep breath, she put her armored palm on the door and pushed it, entering the guildhall. The guild was quite crowded for such an early hour, with almost all of her friends present in Blackhill sitting by their tables. Well, with the exception of Gajeel, as he spotted someone sitting at the back of the hall and started to quickly walk towards them.

Sensing trouble, Erza simply waved to Gray and Mira without saying a word and followed Gajeel, as he now arrived by Laxus' table.

"We have to talk." Gajeel stated, his tone not leaving any room for negotiation.

Laxus simply looked up at Gajeel with a bored face.

"I'm tired. Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait." he sighed.

"No. It can't." retorted Gajeel, pressing even harder..

"Laxus just came back from a difficult mission. I will not allow you to disturb him any further." said Freed, glaring at Gajeel.

"I'm not talking to you, lackey." answered Gajeel, not looking at Freed who was now standing, outraged. Ignoring him, Gajeel kept his eyes on the blondehaired man, before leaning towards him, putting his injured hands on the table.

"Why didn't you tell me you've encountered a Fire Dragon Slayer?" asked Gajeel, he himself suprised with how calm his own voice was.

Laxus, suprised by the question widened his eyes a little, his previously bored expression replaced by a slight frown.

"Why do you know about this?" he asked in an annoyed voice, clearly not fond of the fact Gajeel found out about it..

"Don't answer a question with a question. Why didn't you tell me? Or the runt?" hissed Iron Dragon Slayer, not in the mood for games.

Laxus just stared at the blackhaired mage, before shifting his head to the side and closing his eyes.

"I'm tired. Piss off."

The entire guild turned their heads around, some of them hurting their necks in the process, as a loud noise echoed across the guildhall. Losing his temper, Gajeel smashed his hands into the table, cracking it heavily. Laxus lazily opened his eyes and looked at the damage, the table in front of him barely holding itself in place. He shifted his gaze onto angry Gajeel and raised his eyebrows.

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" he asked him mockingly.

"You know damn well there's not alot of us. Didn't it occur to you that we maybe you should at least tell us he exists? Because if you had just told us, we would have been able to prevent some shit from happening." growled Gajeel, regretting his recent action, his still injured hands pulsing in pain.

"First of all, I don't even know how you found out about that, and second, last time I checked, I'm not obliged to report you what happens during my missions. Mira and Erza don't do it, so why should I? Besides, I wasn't even entirely sure he was a Dragon Slayer." answered Laxus, giving up on ignoring Gajeel. "I've met him. So what? How would you benefit from me telling you? Would something interesting happen?"

Laxus's monologue was interrupted, as Mirajane smashed her left hand into the table, breaking it completely, splinters and pieces of wood flying in all directions, making the nearby guildmembers flee in fear of the Demon's wrath. She wasn't the only one eavesdropping on this conversation, as Erza, Gray and Juvia were now standing right behind Gajeel, looking at Laxus with unpleasant gazes, to say the least.

"Would something happen?! Well, something has already happened, Laxus-chan." Mira hissed through her teeth, glaring daggers at the blondehaired man. "We've almost been killed by this guy, that's what happened."

Laxus' eyes shot open in shock, as he looked at Erza and others, as if expecting them to ensure him it's a joke.

"What?" he asked quietly, directing the question to Erza, who lightly shook her head before responding.

"We were not in grave danger, as Salamander was not planning on killing us. However, we have all received serious injuries, and the village we've been figthing in is now a complete ruin. We've lost that battle."

Laxus lowered his head, gritting his teeth. He did not expect something like this to happen.

"Now that I think about it." thrown in Gray, staring at the Lightning Dragon Slayer with unusual hostility in his eyes. "Three months ago you came back from a job covered in bandages. You refused to talk about this with anyone, even Gramps. Now, I think I know why."

Laxus stared back at Gray, as if warning him to shut his mouth.

"You didn't tell Gajeel about that guy not because you didn't deem it necessary." growled furious Mirajane. "You didn't say anything, because you were embarassed you got your ass handed to you by some random rogue mage."

The Dragon Slayer glared back at Mira, his nerve clearly touched by her statement. "If that's true, then you and Erza should have taken care of him. After all, I was alone and there was two of you. Not to mention I still don't understand why you're so angry about me keeping this guy a secret." he retorted through his teeth.

"Well then, allow me fill you in. Master had entrusted us with capturing this guy for various reasons, some personal, some helpful to the entire country. We tracked him down and almost managed to restrain him, key word being "almost", as thanks to certain someone, he got a major power boost and wiped the floor with us. That's the problem, prick." answered Mirajane, clearly reaching her limit. Laxus looked at her confused, unsure what the woman was implying.

"He's got your powers, Laxus." said grimly Gray, clutching his right side where Salamander struck him. He's never taken a blow this powerful, and that was from a weakened Salamander. If he was at his full strength...

The blonde looked at Gray in shock then quickly shifted his gaze onto Gajeel, seeking confirmation.

"He's right." answered coldly Gajeel. "He's got two elements now - fire and lightning. He used both of them to break free and blow up Titania's hands."

Lightning Dragon Slayer exhaled loudly through his nose and brought up his right hand, clutching the corners of his eyes, massaging them, as he cursed his own stupidity. Letting his pride get in his way was something he's been trying to avoid for years, and yet, when his back was up against the wall, he completely neglected his own rules and because of that, indirectly put his friends in danger.

"Is that even possible?" he asked dryly, directing the question to Gajeel.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" retorted the man. "Up until recently I didn't even know you could turn someone into a Dragon Slayer with a lacrima, then I met you and that prick from Oracion Seiss."

The atmopshere around Laxus' table, or rather its remains, was tense, to say the least. It was difficult not to agree that Laxus' intel might have proven to be useful, or at least made them even more careful, but blaming the man for what happened was just wrong and uncalled for. Fed up with negative emotions so early in the morning, Erza decided to change the subject, hoping her friends pick up the hint.

"Where is Lucy? Is she still at home?" she asked Mira, who was the angriest amongst the company. The woman snapped out of her trance and looked at Erza, her eyes no longer glaring daggers.

"No. She and Wendy went to the hospital, they're visiting those kidnapped girls. Wendy wanted to help them recover." the Demon took the bait, her tone much calmer, as she dropped on a chair right next to Freed, tired after her outburst. Despite Wendy's treatment, she was still weak.

"What about Master? I wish to speak to him."

"Yeah, about that. I wouldn't go there if I were you." thrown in Macao from the nearby table. "About 30 minutes ago a Council Official came by, they're currently in Master's office. Things will get messy, that's for sure."

A moment after Macao's warning, the sound of opening door reached Erza's ears, as the froglike Council member stepped out of Makarov's office.

"I hope I've made myself clear, Saint Dreyar." the man threw in as goodbye, making his way downstairs. Upon reaching their end, his eyes caught Erza.

"I see Miss Scarlet is present. May I trust you to fill her in on the matter at hand?" he asked Makarov, who was now standing by the railing of the second floor.

"Of course." grumbled the Master in response.

"I appreciate it. Now, if you excuse me, I shall be on my way." the Council member bowed in farewell to Makarov and left the guild.

"Erza." called out Makarov, pointing at his office wioth his thumb.

The knight sighed: her supposedly peaceful day was now in complete ruins. She sent an apologizing look to her friends and made her way upstairs. Couple minutes later she found herself sitting in Makarov's office, with a cup of tea Lisanna brought them in her hand, Makarov sipping from his own in front of her.

"I don't think I have to say out loud that we're in trouble." the elder mage started, tapping his cup with his fingers.

"I wouldn't see it any other way." Erza smiled lightly in response, putting her cup down on the desk.

"This time, it's serious. We've been charged of insubordination, violation of Council's laws and property damage. And by "we", I mean you and me."

Erza looked at Makarov in suprise. "May I ask why me specifically? By no means do I wish to bring trouble to the others, as I'm extremely glad I'm the only one being punished, but why just me?"

Makarov snorted and sipped his tea. "You have your past to thank for this." he replied shortly, as the redhead sweatdropped. "We are to be trialed, both of us separately. The only thing I can think of they could charge you for, is property damage."

"Me aside, what will happen to you, Master?" she asked him worringly.

Makarov looked her in the eye for a moment, not answering, which scared the redhead. The elder mage took a big swing of his tea, emptying his cup and replied. "I will probably be stripped off my titles and sentenced to prison."

Erza shot up from her seat, outraged.

"They wouldn't!" she yelled, terror grasping her heart. "What you did is not vile enough to receive such punishment! What will become of Fairy Tail?"

"Disbanded, most likely." Makarov replied grimly, shocking Erza even further.

"The Chairman has changed. He has always been a very strict man, but a reasonable one. Although he was very strict when dealing with law breakers, he always discussed both sides of the coind, sometimes using the good side to be the final nail in his judgement. For the past couple months, however, he appears to be a different man. He no longer hesitates and delivers strict and sometimes even cruel "justice". This whole bounty facade is his idea as well. With the way he is now, I wouldn't be suprised if I was indeed thrown in jail."

Erza dropped onto her seat limply, staring at her gripped hands. This was her fault. If only had she captured Salamander and presented him to the Council, their punishment would certainly not turn out to be as severe.

"Before you start, no, it was not your fault." Makarov put his tiny hand on her armored palm, grabbing it reassuringly. "If anyone's guilty, it's me. But it seems like you're getting the wrong idea, my child."

Erza looked up to meet his eyes, hers filled with confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice dry.

"I never said I was going to comply to their verdict." he grinned to her, puzzling her even more. "If this truly is the end, I may as well use the remaining time we have and go wild for the last time."

"Excuse me?" she asked dumbly.

"I'll tell you everything in time. For the time being, it's a secret." Makarov grinned even wider, before taking his hands off Erza's and dropping from his chair, turning around to face his window, with Erza staring at the back of his head. What could he posibbly be talking about?

"Now then, I want you to tell me what happened there again, in details. I've known you for far too long to not see through that shell." his tone suddenly changed into a more serious one, almost commanding, as he knocked Erza out of her trance.

"It appears I am still too easy to read." she replied, her lips curving themselves into a smile without her knowledge. He truly did have talent at sniffing out lies.

"Years of experience, my child." he snorted in amusement. "Now, out with it."

Erza took a deep, relaxing breath and relayed what was on her mind to the Master. She told him about Troy, the mayor, the incident with Dragon Claw, Mira's assault and all the details of the battle she did not relay to the Council afterwards. Makarov simply listened, not interrupting her. His hunch was right, as Erza's story made much more sense than the one she told the Council. With each sentence, he could feel the girl slightly loosen up, although he could tell she still held something back.

"That's what he said? I'm sorry?" he asked her suprised, interrupting her for the first time.

"Yes."

Makarov frowned. From what Erza just said, he had enough power to hold his own against four of his strongest mages, continue fighting despite grevious wounds and still held back a vast portion of his strength. It didn't take a genius to make Makarov realise that he could have easily killed his brats if he wanted to. The very fact he tried to avoid combat and spared Erza and the others even when overtaken by fury went completely against everything he'd been told about this boy.

"Those two days of being locked in my apartment made me question who the true villain really was." the elder mage was knocked out of his thoughts, as Erza interrupted them, smiling grimly with her eyes locked on her hands. "Dragon Claw, Salamander, or us. He appeared to be a reasonable person, despite his reputation. However it was I who jumped to conslusions, let anger cloud my judgement and engaged him in an unnecessary battle, which brought more harm than good. He pleaded to let him go, yet I did not listen. Because of that, Mira can barely walk, Lucy is traumatized and Blackhill is a ruin. I guess I'll never change. I have broken my promise to you."

Makarov looked at the knight, her broken figure sulking in her chair. He walked up to the girl and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Things like this take time." he whispered to her softly. "You've already made great progress, far bigger than I even expected. You have not broken our promise, quite the opposite, you've fulfilled it. The fact you can admit to a mistake is a victory on its own. It takes strength to admit we were wrong, but it's also easy to put too much unnecessary and unjustified blame on our shoulders."

Erza lifted her head, meeting Makarov's kind, old eyes with her brown orbs.

"The way I see it, this boy is just like you, and I know you've realised it on your own as well. You were in a similiar situation not so long ago, with one leg already deep in darkness. Yours was pulled out, buy his is still there, sinking deeper with each day. His actions have become much more repetetive and their impact has increased as well. If we don't hurry, he will reach a point of no return."

Makarov stood up, leaving the knight deep in thoughts.

"I don't know what exactly is in your heart, but I feel like you should meet him once again. And that, you will."

Erza blinked, quitting her spacing out and frowned. "But what about my trial? I can't just leave like that, not to mention I don't even know where to look."

"Yes, you can." Makarov shot back. "Our trials take place on the same day, two days from now, yours an hour before mine. Even if you do not make it in time, I have a plan on how to deal with this and to be completely honest, I hope you don't. You, on the other hand, will move out today and find this boy."

"But I don't know what to do!" she suddenly screamed at the elder man, suprising him a little. All of her remaining, pent up frustration was now spilled onto the elder mage. "What I did to him was despicable. I have completely opposed everything I tried to stand for and reverted to my old ways, even if only for a moment. No words will fix that. Even if I meet him again, what then? I would not be able to look him in the eye, not that he'd even let me. The very moment I pointed my sword in his direction, I've become his enemy!" tears streamed down her face, as she recalled the rage she felt and the image of her armored foot on his head, his broken figure stomped into the surface beneath.

"Then how come you're still here?"

Erza's eyes widened upon hearing this short, simple question.

"Excuse me?" she asked quietly, her voice unpleasantly dry.

"You saw what he does to his enemies first hand. Countless of destroyed Dark Guilds and injured Dark Mages are a proof of that as well. And yet, here you are, well and healthy. Why do you think he spared you and the others? Why do you think he apologized to you, after all that happened? He has an established goal, a line he will not cross and that line would be fighting people he does not consider his enemies. He clearly distinguishes good from evil in his own, twisted way. If you truly wish to confirm your own feelings, find him and confront him about it. In the end, no one knows you better than yourself." the small wizard monologued, sitting back in his chair in the meantime.

"The more I hear about him, the more I realise how similiar you both are. From what I understood, something was driving that boy. Something that allowed him to push his body past absolute limits, to avoid being prevented from fulfilling his goal. Such resolve is always backed up by a strong sense of duty. Do you remember what happened before he broke out of his restraints?"

"Very vaguely. Truth to be told, I wasn't listening, but I know Gray and Gajeel were discussing our next move." she replied, her tone calmer. Makarov's monologue had calmed her troubled mind, even if only a little.

"I see." Makarov sighed, refilling his empty cup with fresh tea. He shot a quick gaze at the knight. Seeing her troubled figure, the elder mage decided not to drill this topic any further.

"It appears I was right. S-Class mages have lost their minds, and two guilds have already been pushed away from the request. Of course, after what happened two days ago, Fairy Tail has also been forbid to hunt Salamander down. That's three guilds out of the picture in just 48 hours. I don't need Gajeel's nose to figure out something smells fishy here."

This sudden change of subject suited Erza, as she straightened herself in her chair. "I agree. This whole situation just doesn't make sense, and I'm afraid it won't end there. I know some of these mages way too well, the true storm has yet to come."

"Indeed." replied the Master shortly. "And you are going to throw yourself right in the middle of this storm."

"But Fairy Tail has been officially stripped off all rights to this request, wouldn't my presence bring even more harm to the guild?" Erza asked worringly

"If you were to go as an employee, that is. I suppose nobody can stop you from traveling on your own, can they?"

Makarov's cheeky smile made Erza chuckle as well, as she wiped her eyes. This man truly had talent when it comes to playing on someone's nose. Sometimes she believed his influence was the reason behind all the damage Fairy Tail has caused over the years.

"Yes, it would seem so. May I take a three-day long vacation?" she asked with a smile.

"You certainly may." Makarov smirked, sipping his second cup of tea. He definitely preffered smiling Erza over her crying self. He lowered his cup and looked at Erza with a slightly more serious face.

"Now then, you must go. Eat something, pack yourself up and be on your way. It's best if you go alone, since your teammates are still injured. You managed to find him once, surely you can do it again. I suggest you listen to gossip, as news travel fast. That friend of yours may be of great help as well. With 9 guilds on his neck and his appearance exposed, finding Salamander will surely turn out to be a much easier task than before. All this skirmish plays in our favor." Makarov stated firmly, receiving a sharp nod from the redhead.

"This time, I will not fail." she stated in confidence.

"And I promise I'll do my part as well. Before you leave, could you please tell Mirajane to come here? There's something important I have to discuss with her."

"Of course, Master."

With that said, Erza bowed to the elder mage and stepped out of his office, closing the door behind her. Talking to Master filled her with renewed confidence and determination, something she's been lacking for the past couple days. Her doubts and fears were still there, however she managed to force them back into a corner, not letting them cloud her mind any longer. The more I hear about him, the more I realise how similiar you both are: Master's words were still echoing in her ears. She remembered his onyx eyes, so similiar to those she had this morning, and so similiar to those she's been carrying for years in the past.

"Probably lock him up in the guild."

Erza's eyes slowly widened in realisation, as Gray's words that were stuck at the back of her mind suddenly resurfaced with unexpected, immense strength, stunning the redhead.

"Lock him...up..." she muttered to herself, her right hand uncontrollably slowly creeping towards her left wrist, as she squeezed it lightly. No, there's no way that could be true, she would have known if it was. But what if...?

Old memories started flowing yet again, as she forcefully shook her head, cutting them off before they caused any damage. Putting all the pieces together, the knight realised it couldn't be a mere coincidence, but to be truly sure, she had to confront the man himself. Shaking her head even harder, she pushed these assumptions back - the mission was her priority. Questions can wait.

Lightly gritting her teeth and filled with burning resolve, Erza quickly made her way downstairs. Gray, Juvia and Mira were sitting together by one table, their conflict with Laxus seemingly resolved.

"Did you get chewed up?" asked her Gray jokingly, however upon seing her serious face, his smile faded away. "Did something happen?"

"I'm going away for a while. Alone." Erza stated firmly, not leaving any room for negotiation, as Gray was already opening his mouth to protest. "Mira, Master wants to see you. It's urgent." she faced the Demon, meeting her bored gaze.

"Yeah. Sure."

Erza nodded to the woman and turned around in her spot, heading towards the exit.

"Wait a second." Gray threw in, standing up from his seat. Erza turned her head around and looked at him. "What is it, Gray? I'm in a hurry."

"This has something to do with that Salamander guy, doesn't it?" the Ice Make mage asked her, his voice worried. "I can't let you go after him alone, not after what happened. Let me come with you."

The knight noticed the determination in his eyes. He most likely felt guilty and incompetent after what happened, especially after bragging about his magic countering Salamander's fire.

"Don't get the wrong idea, Gray. I just need to be alone for a while. I'll be back in couple days, I promise." she smiled at him, faking it as best as she currently could.

Gray stared at the knight for couple more seconds, before sighing and sitting back in his spot. "If you say so." he said shortly.

Erza turned back around and started making her way out of the guild, biting her lip in frustration. She heavily disliked lying to her friends, and she knew Gray saw right through her. But this was something she had to deal with on her own. She relied on her friends for far too long, and now was the time to finally take her problems into her own hands and smother them into nothingness, once and for all.

With this resolve imprinted on her mind, Erza left the guild and walked back to her apartment to get ready. It was time to act.

November 20th, Magic Council HQ, Era.

Gran Doma was walking through the dark corridor, making his way to his chambers, the only source of light being beams of moonlight peeking through the windows. Upon reaching his destination, he nodded to the guards' salute and entered the room, closing the door behind him. The Chairman put his staff back on its rack and sighed tiredly.

"Well, hello there."

Female voice echoed across the room, as Gran Doma quickly turned his head around towards its source. In his chair behind his desk, sat a young woman. She had brown, shoulder lenght hair, with long bangs covering her right, blue eye, her red lips curved into a smirk. She was wearing a black skintight suit underneath a dark blue vest and short skirt, with heavy, highheeled black boots reaching up to her knees covering her feet, which were currently resting on the wooden top.

Gran Doma sighed in relief, loosening his tense body up.

"What do you want, Jolene?" he asked tiredly.

The woman called Jolene clicked her tongue in annoyance. "I came here all this way and this is the way you greet me? And how long are you planning on talking to me through that puppet of yours? I've missed you, you know. Is that how you treat old friends, Chairman?" she pouted playfully, irritating the man.

"Fine." The Chairman sighed and walked up to the cabinet, pushing one of the books. The cabinet pushed itself to the right, revealing a hole in the wall where an extra room was placed. A moment later, someone walked out of the room, as Jolene was met with the sight of a young and quite short blackhaired man. He was most likely in his late teens, but his face made him look much younger than he truly was. His black hair were all over his bored face, brown eyes peeking from behind his messy bagns. Upon seeing him, Jolene threw her feet off the desk and ran up to the man, embracing him in a crushing hug.

"Ah, I've missed you so much, Luppi!" she squealed into his ear, smothering him with her chest, as he desperately tried to free himself.

"Yeah, sure. I get it. Can you let me go now?" he whined, not amused by her playful approach. The woman gasped in fake shock, and slowly let him go.

Taking a deep breath, Luppi jumped back, massaging his sore nose.

"What are you doing here? I was not informed of your coming." still massaging his nose, Luppi asked the woman in a funny voice, as she sat back in the chair, throwing her legs over the desk once again.

"Master's orders. I'm supposed to check whether things are going according to plan." Jolene retorted, dropping her mischevious play. This earned her an irritated and quiet growl from the man.

"They both are, and aren't." he sighed, making the woman raise an eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked him sharply, displeased with his response.

"The infiltration plan was a complete success. Our little diversion had succeeded and did its part marvelously. As of today, we are free to do whatever we so desire, completely free of any suspicion." Luppi replied, making Jolene frown in confusion.

"What the hell's up with that vocabulary? Since when were you so eloquent?" she snorted in amusement.

"When you spend months amongst these geezers, whether you like it or not, you pick up certain things. Matter of speech being one of them."

"Well, whatever. How's the other thing doing?"

"That is where the problems begin." Luppi threw himself onto a sofa right next to the desk, sighing tiredly. "Although we did manage to get a good hit on Salamander, we lost Dragon Claw and all the commodity in the process. Not to mention, after sniffing the smell of money, the guilds have started to throw shit amongst themselves. Two of them have destroyed each other, others keep fighting all over Fiore and only one fulfilled its purpose, and not even the full extent of it, because even though they nailed him pretty hard, at the end of the day he wiped the floor with them. I know Master wants to avoid this, but If this goes any further, one of us will have to personally step in and deal with this problem."

Jolene brought her thumb to her lips and gently bit her nail. "That's something we cannot allow. As much as I want to deal with this brat myself, Master specifically ordered us to not interfere at any cost, as we are close to completing our plan. Exposing ourselves can not happen, not at this stage. But if things will keep going badly, we'll have no choice but to disobey an order and deal with this in secret. He's already pushed us into a corner, half of our supply routes are in ruins because of him. We're running out of time." she muttered quietly, anger growing inside of her.

"You want to disobey an order? I've always known you're brave, but stupid? That's a new one." Luppi responded mockingly, earning a light kick from the female.

"I see you're finally growing some balls, kid. No, I'm not crazy enough to disobey an order. I'll just have to talk to Master and convince him to give us a free pass. I'm sure all of us would like to get our hands on this kid. Who would have thought that little boy would end up growing up into such a giant pain in the ass? If I knew it'd turn out like this, I would've snapped his neck when I had the chance."

"I'll pass. I wouldn't last a minute against this guy." Luppi raised his hands in defeat.

"You really should have more faith in yourself. Your magic is so dangerous, I'd be shitting myself if I was your enemy. You just don't know how to use it properly." Jolene rolled her eyes, pushing Luppi with her leg.

"Don't poke me with these, it hurts." he pushed her leg aside, earning a cheeky chuckle from the female in return."I'll figure something out. We still have 9 guilds to works with, it's just a matter of time we get our hands on him." he closed their previous topic, making the woman smile.

"Atta boy!" she cheered, messing up his hair even more.

"Are you staying the night?" he asked her as he pushed her hand off, shocking the female.

"Oh my, Luppi! I take back what I said, you are confident!" she said in an impressed tone, covering her lips with her hand.

"That's not I meant! Control yourself!" Luppi yelled blushing, as Jolene just laughed. "I've been sitting in this shithole for the past couple months, I'd really appreciate if I could talk to a friend rather than some corrupt geezers!"

Jolene sighed loudly, calming her laughter down and patted him on the shoulder. "I know, I'm just messing with you. Unfortunately, I can't stay. If it makes you feel any better, we're going to be gathering up pretty soon, so you'll finally be free from this place. As for now, you can expect a visit from Heavens relatively soon."

Luppi growled at the sound of this name. "What the hell does he want?! Doesn't he realise he's the last person who should be entering this building?" he whined in protest, amusing Jolene even further.

"He's been in the field for a while now, so he'll bring you more instructions from Master, as I'm not that good with formalities. You know, you really have to drop this hatred thing, you guys did join at around the same time, you should be getting along." she scolded him, poking his chest with her finger.

"Seriously, don't treat me like a kid." Luppi replied, pushing Jolene's hand off his chest. The woman laughed in return and took her legs off the desk.

"Earlier you said Salamander had fought with a guild. Which guild was it?" she asked curiously.

"Fairy Tail." the teenager replied shortly, as Jolene's lips slowly curved into a smile.

"Oh? Now that's interesting." she muttered to herself, as her figure slightly flickered all of a sudden, which didn't go unnoticed by Luppi.

"Seriously? You claim you've missed me and you send a thought projection? Now that's low." he raised his eyebrows.

"As much as I like you, Luppi, I don't think I'd travel all this way just to give you a short message. Besides, sneaking in is much easier in this form." she winked at him, making the man grumble quietly to himself. Jolene smirked at this sight and got up from her chair, walking out to the center of the room.

"Well, I should be going, but before I do, could you do me a favor?" Jolene asked, turning around to face Luppi.

"What is it?" sighed, completely fed up with the woman's attitude.

"Is there any way you could go slightly off course and arrange so that Fairy Tail and Salamander are both destroyed? Dead, preferably." Jolene's face twisted with a wicked smile, which slightly terrified the teenager.

"You know damn well we can't kill Salamander, he's essential to our plans. As for Fairy Tail, something along these lines has already been arranged."

Jolene's eyes glimpsed in joy, as she licked her lips. "I can't wait." she whispered, sending chills down Luppi's spine.

"Well then, see you soon. Try not to kill each other with Heavens, please." she waved at him in goodbye and disappeared without a trace, the link between her real body and projection cut off.

Luppi sighed heavily and sunk in his seat, shifting his gaze onto the ceiling.

"Go to sleep." he muttered, as Gran Doma's immobile body moved for the first time in the past few minutes and obediently walked up to the bed, laying down.

"I hate my life." Luppi whined to himself, shifting his eyes onto the full moon peeking from behind the glass of the window. But soon. Soon, none of this will matter, as the world will finally become a better place. A place without violence, without discrimination, without suffering. Yes, it will be their world. His world. "Zeref's" world.

First minutes of November 21st, Lupinus.

A group of men walked out of a bar, most of them staggering and hicking, as a blackhaired man forcefully pushed them out with a broom.

"Get the hell out, you've already puked all over my local!" he screamed, earning a wave of laughter in responce.

"Don't be so stiff, Troy, it was an accident!" one of them grumbled, waving his hands in front of him.

"It will be once I shove this thing up your ass! Fuck off!" Troy retorted, making the bunch laugh even harder, before they went their separate ways, using nearby buildings as support.

"I hate this town." muttered the bartender under his nose, scrubbing the filthy door to his bar with a rag, using the moon as a source of light. Suddenly, he noticed someone walking up to him, their shadow hovering over the area he was cleaning.

"Closed. Come back another time." quickly shot Troy, not looking at the person behind him, as he tried to get the already dried piece of vomit off the wooden surface. Seeing that his words had no effect, he sighed heavily and turned around to face the figure.

"Didn't you hear? I said, we're clo-"

The man froze for a moment, his eyes widening a little, as they took the sight in front of them in. The person was almost completely covered in bandages, some of them bloodied, which shocked the bartender for a very short moment. Couple seconds later, however, he regained his composure, turning back to his previous duties.

"You look like shit, pal. Go home and lay down, or you'll die." he said in a monotone voice, scrubbing the door with all his strength.

"I heard you know certain things and share them with others for a considerable amount." the figure replied in a muffled male voice.

"And I heard someone's fucking with you. I really had a rough day, buddy. We're closed." Troy did not budge an inch, slowly losing his patience. "Piss off."

After finally getting his door clean, the former bandit folded his bar sign and picked it up, placing it under his right armpit. Just as he was about to enter his local, the man behind him spoke up once again.

"I'm looking for Seven Commandments."

Upon hearing this name, Troy froze in the doorway. Gears started to loudly turn in his head, pieces putting themselves together, as his body started to tense up, chills of terror crawling all over his skin. It must be her fault, she always brought trouble onto his head, even if indirectly. But at the same time, he cursed his curiosity and desire to put nose in other people's business, especially people of this caliber. Unsure of who to shift the blame on, Troy gulped loudly and slowly turned around to face the man, whose pink hair gently flowed in the night breeze.

"Well...shit." was all that managed to come out of the bartender's mouth.

To be continued in Chapter 4: Confrontation.


	4. Confrontation

Chapter 4: Confrontation

Woop woop, Chapter 4, Erza centered chapter, is here! With more dialogue. I hate writing dialogue, especially what happenes in-between exchanged sentences. I always visualise my stories like manga, and wish I could actually draw. Sigh. Expect more action coming up very soon. Enjoy and as always - speak your mind out in the reviews!

Early morning of November 21st, Lupinus

Erza stepped out of the train, her eyes taking in the sight of the unpleasant train station. It's been 20 hours since she began her search and so far, the only thing she managed to find was a slight feeling of irritation at the thought of wasting so much time in vain.

"I should have come here way sooner." she sighed lightly, as she made her way through the obscure town. It didn't take her long to recognize the so familiar building in the distance. However, something was bothering her.

While walking through the town, she could feel multiple pairs of eyes glued to her figure, as the inhabitants watched her carefully from within their homes. She wasn't suprised - people from this town did not take kindly to strangers. But something felt different about them; it was almost as if they were scared, and not of the knight.

After a very short while, Erza found herself very close to Troy's bar, but with every step she took she could feel her face frowning even more. The man was currently sitting in front of his bar, right by the table he most likely dragged out of the local. His head was resting on top of his hands, which were pressed against his forehead, with the remains of a cigarette in-between fingers of his right hand. The entire wooden surface of the table was covered in ash, with cigarette filters lying all around his chair and table, covering the ground. Overall, this scene was a mix of sadness, creepiness and suprise, as Troy rarely stepped outside of his bar during the day, but the weirdest element of this picture was a quite big stack of cash placed on the edge of the table.

"Troy, are you okay?" asked the redhead, concerned with his appearance.

The bartender twitched at the sound of her voice and lifted his head to look at the woman with his bloodshot eyes. Upon seeing her, his face twisted into a weird grimace. He reached towards his pocket and pulled out yet another cancer stick, lighting it with his shaking hands.

"What do you want?" he asked the knight with a raspy voice.

"I asked you first. What happened here? Have you been here all night?" Erza placed her hands on the table, her tone worried.

"Yep. All night. Because of the visit I received in the night, I don't feel like sleeping." he responded, chuckling sarcastically.

"A visit? From whom?" the Requip mage asked confused. Troy's bar was usually opened from dusk to dawn, depending on his guests, who ranged between regular drunks and shady businessmen and gangs. She's been here plenty of times, even during rush hours and never had she seen him in such a sorry state.

"Salamander himself." he responded, shocking the redhead, as he inhaled an unpleasantly big amount of smoke into his lungs, burning half of the cigarette with one drag. "That's where the money is from, by the way." he coughed, pointing at the bills.

"He was here?! What did he want?" she yelled unintentionally, making the man laugh.

"What do you think? The same thing you all keep me around for." he retorted, his laughter dying immediately, replaced by an angry voice. "Information, and pretty fucking weird one if you ask me."

Erza was sweating. So that was the reason people were so scared. Majority of Lupinus' inhabitants were mages, with only few exceptions like Troy himself. The reason they were so terrified must have been Salamander's enormous magic.

"Did he use force to get what he wanted? How long has it been since he left? What sort of information did he want?!" Erza asked in rapidfire-like fashion, her voice getting louder with each question. If he was here not so long ago, catching up to him in the remaining time she had until her trial was possible.

Troy simply took another drag from his cig and threw it to the ground, reaching for his half-emptied bottle of booze to wash it down.

"Slow down, woman, I can barely sit. Give me some time to process your words." he muttered, raising his hand defensively. "One question at a time."

He reached out for yet another cigarette, but this time he was stopped by an iron grip on his wrist, as Erza reached out to prevent him from doing so.

"Get a hold of yourself." Erza hissed, fed up with her friends sorry appearance. The man simply stared at her with his eyes half open and sighed in defeat.

"Fine." he said shortly, massaging his sore eyes. "I'll have to take my time to answer your questions, so don't hit me please."

Erza let go of his hand, slightly guilty of her impulsive reaction. The knight took a seat and waited for Troy to talk.

"No, he didn't force me into anything. If he did, do you think he'd leave this thing before he left?" said the bartender, tapping the cash with his finger. "What's that supposed to be, recompensation?"

Erza inhaled loudly, trying to relax - Troy was drunk and tired, pushing him would bring more harm than good. Still, she was in a hurry.

"He came here couple minutes before I was about to close for the night." continued Troy, pulling out a new cigarette carefully, afraid Erza will snatch it away. "Some guy puked all over my door, so I had to clean it. That's when he appeared. At first, I thought it was an another client, so I respectfully told him the bar was closed. He didn't listen, so I took a slightly more rude different approach and turned around to take a look at his mug. I don't know what happened to him, but the guy was covered in bandages in basically every place on his body. I won't lie, I got a little scared for a second, but in the end I told him to go away. Then he asked me something and god damn my curiosity, because at that moment I knew who he was."

"What did he ask you?" asked Erza, glad she was finally getting some information.

For a very short while that didn't go unnoticed by the knight, Troy looked at her with something that resembled a mix of pity and concern, before taking a swing of his booze.

"Nothing important. I may have gotten scared, I won't lie. I mean, the guy is known for being a violent brute after all. But up close he didn't seem like an aggressive type. When I couldn't bring myself to answer him properly, he took it as a sign of me being difficult, so he threw that right under my feet." Troy pointed at the cash with his chin. "You know I'm not a greedy scumbag and I'm not particularly interested in money, but seeing this damn thing allowed me to relax. It was a sign that he wouldn't kill me if I didn't live up to his expectations. And so I told him everything I knew. He asked about couple weird things, like where was the nearest hospital, or if the amount he's given me was sufficient. He left 10 minutes later, thanking me for my time so damn politely it threw me completely off guard. I think this guy really lives in a different reality, the money he gave me is more than I've probably earned in my whole life."

The former bandit exhaled some smoke through his nose and leaned back in his chair, finished with his monologue.

Erza listened to his story, her eyes squinted. He's always been clever, capable of talking his way through almost everything. But that worked on strangers and his clients, and definitely not on her.

"Do you really think I don't see right through this facade?" she asked sharply, making the man look at her in confusion. "Do you think I'm an idiot?"

Troy opened his mouth to answer her, but froze for a moment, before sighing heavily. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You didn't know what he looked like, or what he sounded like. you didn't recognize him even when he was right in front of you and yet only one question about a god damn hospital made you realise who you're talking to? Nothing important? I don't believe that." Erza growled through her teeth. "What did he want? Enough with lies."

The atmosphere between them was tense, to say the least. Erza looked like she was trying to melt him with her glare, something that usually worked when he was too difficult. But not this time.

Troy took his eyes off the redhead and lightly shook his head.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Erza."

With that being said, he stood up from his chair and stretched, his back cracking loudly. Erza, feeling panic grasping her neck, stood up from her seat as well and slammed her armored palms into the table in a last attempt to make the man talk. Her conflicted feelings have resurfaced once again, as she grew more and more desperate with each wasted minute. And by know, there was alot of them.

"God damn it, Troy! I have to know! Stop being difficult and just tell me!" she roared.

"For your own good, it's best if you just leave and go home. I know I owe you, but-"

"NO!"

Erza smashed her fists into the table, smashing it into pieces. Breathing loudly, she looked into Troy's eyes with enough anger to make the man scared of her.

"There is no debt! There's never been any debt! Ever since I've dragged your halfdead body to that doctor all these years ago, the thought of you being in debt to me has never even crossed my mind! In fact, it's the complete opposite! I am the one who owes you more than I could ever repay you! Your information from three days ago was more helpful than you could imagine. Thanks to that little bit you've shared with us, we managed to save 8 girls who would most likely end up as slaves. So please, don't hide things from me, and tell me. What did he want and where did he go?"

Erza's tone was now pleading, as she stared into the bartender's soul with her brown orbs. This confession has truly shocked him, as he was just standing there, his mouth half open and his eyes glued to the redhead's face. For a moment, he looked like he was about to spill the beans, however he restrained himself at the last second and shook his head yet again.

"No, Erza. Not this time. For years I thought it was a myth, I wanted it to be a myth. But it's not, and he made it clear pretty damn hard. I'm too scared to even think about it, therefore, you will not hear anything from me." the man whispered. He slowly raised his arm and pointed towards East. "He went that way. If you follow this path long enough, you'll see a town not bigger than this shithole. There's a hospital there, along with a guild you may be quite familiar with, they may have further clues for you. Go and find him. But, don't blame me if you get killed, and be mindful - if you go after him, you may step into the biggest mess of your life, and it may very well turn out to be the last step you'll ever take."

Troy entered his bar and grabbed the doorknob with his right hand. He turned his head around and took a last gaze at the redhead.

"Now, if you excuse me. I think I'll take a nap. You can have this money, not like I'd have any use for it anyway. Goodbye, Erza." he threw in farewell, closing the door behind him, a key turning itself around in the lock few seconds afterwards. Erza stared at the door, processing what she just heard. Myth? Rumor? Whatever it was, it was important enough to make the steelnerved Troy sweat in fear. And that couldn't have been good. The knight shifted her eyes onto the direction in which he pointed in earlier, where a thick blanket of green trees was placed, as she tried to bring up the image of the map she used to read so damn often in her mind.

"If I'm not mistaken, the town that's in this direction is..."

Erza's eyes widened at the realisation, as cold sweat ran down her neck.

"This is bad. If they meet, it will end up in yet another disaster." was all that she managed to think before dashing at full speed, running out of Lupinus and towards her new destination.

Troy watched the knight take off through his peephole, before turning around and sliding his back on the door, landing on his ass. He shifted his tired eyes at the ceiling and sighed heavily.

"Seven Commandments, huh?" he asked himself quietly, his eyes getting heavier with each second. "God, help us." was all his mind managed to register before losing to the warm embrace of sleep.

Afternoon of November 21st, Magic Council HQ, Era

Luppi was sitting in his chair, his back turned to the chamber door. It was a relatively lazy day, with only one meeting scheduled sometime in the evening. His "puppet" was currently in his bed, resting. For the first time in recent months, the teenager was bored. Usually, he'd live the day through Gran Doma's eyes, so there wasn't much time to feel boredom, but today it was a different story.

His fingers were currently playing with a knife, as he spinned it around his palms, sometimes throwing it into the air, only to catch it in a flashy way. Suddenly, his ear twitched, as they caught the faint sound of opening door. In one, swift movement he turned around and threw the knife at his target, only to see it catch the knife in-between its fingers, mere centimeters away from its face.

"This has to be the warmest welcome you've ever given me." mocked the figure in a young, male voice, his face covered with a hood.

"Well, I am running out of ideas." retorted lazily Luppi, turning back around to show the man right side of his face. "What do you want, Heavens? And how did you even get in?"

"Oh? I thought Jolene would have filled you in by now?" asked the man in slight suprise. "And, I thought we were finally close enough to stop calling each others by our codenames, Mind. As for how I got in..." he smiled, as his figure flickered in the sunlight.

"Typical." was all Luppi said in response to the man's way of getting inside of the building. He was really getting tired of talking to ghosts. "And yes, she did. I just don't understand why you're here, after all the trouble we've been through with shifting all the suspicion onto you and turning you into a mole. Your mere presence in Fiore is a big threat to us, not to mention you get to work in the field and even come here of all places. I don't know what Master's thinking. And no, we are not." the teenager continued to answer his guest's previous questions.

The hooded man chuckled sarcastically and threw his hood back, revealing his azure hair.

"Point taken. I'm here to give you orders from Master. He praises you for your idea of putting a bounty on Salamander's head, but he's disappointed with the way our pawns are handling it. He's given you an ultimatum - you and your "apes" have 3 days, starting from yesterday, to successfully capture him. If you fail, one of us will have to deal with this problem personally. I think you know what that means, don't you?" the man finished his report, smiling at the teenager, as he waited for his reaction with sinister anticipation.

Luppi gulped loudly, sweat running down his temple. That was definitely the last thing he wanted to happen.

"Tell Master, that I understand and will do everything in my strength to ensure Salamander is captured before we proceed into the last stage of our operation." he answered sharply.

"See? You can be a good boy if you want to." Heavens raised his eyebrows, his tone mocking. "Now, as much as I love spending time with you, I still have some stuff to deliver. Probably the last and final load."

"Wait, again? Why have they died so fast? Usually they were usable for at least 2 months, it hasn't even been two weeks since the last one." Luppi turned around to face the man, genuinely confused.

"With so close to deadline, the work is much more intense. Master wants to be done with it this month, therefore, we need more people. That's why he's given you a timelimit - we can't allow Salamander to destroy our supply routes any longer. You're running this place, surely you must have noticed our men being stuffed into way overcrowded cells after his "purges"."

"That's the reason I've hired all these guilds for, you know." the teenager retorted, turning back around. "If that's all, leave. Through the window, preferably."

Heavens chuckled and turned back, walking towards the door.

"See you soon, Luppi. Try not to rot in here." he said, waving his hand lazily.

"I hate you, Jellal." threw Luppi in farewell.

Jellal stopped in his tracks and froze for a second, as if considering attacking his comrade. But that didn't happen and he just turned his head around and smiled. "And vice versa." he responded, before disappearing in thin air.

Meanwhile

Erza panted heavily, as she made her way through the forest that stood in the way to her destination. Getting there was much harder than she anticipated, as she had to carefully avoid thick puddles of mud, fallen trees and rocks. All this jumping and skipping in intense heat was slowly starting to get to her, her legs getting heavier with each hour.

The knight swiftly climbed on a cliff, jumping on moss covered stones. With one final jump, she got a hold on the edge and pulled her weight up. The very first thing her eyes registered when she placed her torso on the upper ground, was a vast window in-between the leaves, with buildings visible in the background. Glad that she finally made it, she got up from the dirt and gently ran straight ahead.

After a minute of light jogging, the redhead finally emerged from the forest and stepped into the town, with the sun catching her figure for the first time in hours, as it began scorching her armor protected skin. Erza slightly bent over and grabbed her knees, regulating her breathing. Her stomach bruise started to bite into her left side, making the journey slightly harder than it was supposed to be. After one final breath, she moved from her spot and started to make her way through the town.

Oakwood Town was one of her least favorite places. The town itself was beautiful, completely surrounded by a thick forest filled with ponds, plains and animals, with majority of its buildings and houses made out of wood. Only a fool would dislike this beautiful scenery, and yet, Erza did not enjoy being here. And the reason for that was just in front of her, as after good couple minutes of walking, her eyes registered the so unpleasantly familiar guildhall placed right in the middle of the town, with Quatro Cerberus carved right above the entrance. She wasn't particularly fond of this guild's mages, especially their strongest S-Class wizard, whose perverted retorts and approaches usually ended up in an all out brawl.

Sighing deeply in defeat, Erza turned around on her heel and looked for inhabitants, wishing to ask about their hospital. If Salamander was truly looking for one, he may have visited it. She looked around for a while, before spotting something with the corner of her eye, as the neighboring alley was almost filled with people. Sensing trouble, the knight quickly crossed the street and soon found herself pushing her way through the crowd, making some people yelp out in pain as she brushed their skin with her red hot armor.

"Excuse me." she smiled kindly to a group of children that was trying to peek over the adults curiously, and finally found herself on the scene.

The entrance to the hospital was heavily damaged, with the door busted out of its hinges, most likely kicked from the inside. The nurses and doctors were trying to explain the situation to a group of Quatro Cerberus mages, who were clumsily cleaning the mess up. Feeling pressure, Erza walked out of the crowd and quickly walked up to the building, making her way towards an elder doctor, who was currently sitting in the hospital lobby, seemingly depressed with the mages' approach to the situation.

"Excuse me?" she asked him, gaining his attention. "My name is Erza Scarlet, I'm a Fairy Tail mage. Could you tell me what happened here?"

The doctor looked at her with tired eyes, which comically widened all of a sudden, shocked by her choice of clothing, however upon seeing her guild stamp he quickly shook it off and adjusted his glasses.

"Yes, yes of course. Despite your... unique appearance, it seems the universe showed its pity over me and sent you instead of these primitives. You seem like a competent girl, unlike those useless drunks." he grinded his teeth, pointing at the other mages. Erza couldn't help but chuckle at his words.

"That drunk, Bacchus, came here not so long ago, as usual demanding hangover pills. I was currently busy with finishing patching a certain young man up, so I told him to wait. At first he obliged, but then noticed my patient and started to watch him very carefully. He asked him some weird questions, and suddenly attacked him. They ran out of the building and made their way into the forest, with some of Bacchus' friends following in suit." relayed the doctor, furrowing his forehead to remember every detail of the incident.

Erza suddenly stopped feeling hot, as cold sweat covered her back. She was too late.

"Did this young man have a white, scaly scarf and pink hair?" she asked the doctor, using all her strength to make her tone sound as natural as possible.

"I don't know about the scarf, but he did have pink hair." replied the man, confirming Erza's fears.

"Which way did they go?!" she blew up, scaring the doctor.

"T-that way." he stuttered, pointing with his shaky finger.

Not even thanking him, Erza dashed in the freshly received direction, jumping into the green jaws of the forest yet again shortly afterwards.

This was bad. Although she didn't act any better, Erza knew Bacchus would not let Salamander go without a fight. The man may have liked money, because it brought him alcohol, but he liked fighting even more. The news of Fairy Tail's defeat had reached the ears of all other guilds. Bacchus would definitely want to challenge himself against someone who bested both the Demon and Titania of Fairy Tail. At this point, she didn't even know what she was concerned with the most - the town, forest or Bacchus and his friends. The image of destroyed Blackhill Village emerged yet again, as she dashed through the bushes, feeling thin branches and leaves scrape her skin.

A muffled nearby explosion ensured the knight that she was on the right path. Gritting her teeth, she kicked the ground as hard as she possibly could, praying in mind to make it in time. And her prayers have been answered.

With one final straight through thick bushes, Erza emerged out of them, only to be met with the sight of a plain, placed right in the middle of trees and bushes, with a giant chasm few meters away. The grassland became a battlefield, as multiple mages tried to attack one person, who swiftly continued to dodge their attacks, at the same time trying not to fall down into the darkness of the ground.

The knight sighed in relief - nothing major happened, at least not yet. With the situation seemingly under control, Erza decided to observe the situation before steeping in, as she ducked and hid in the bushes, hoping Salamander doesn't catch her smell in the middle of this skirmish.

The very first person she recognized was Bacchus, clad in his trademark armor-like clothes, as he continuously tried to connect his palm strikes on his opponent, who had some trouble with dodging them, but avoided receiving any damage. It didn't take the knight long to figure out who this person was - she could never forget this unusual hair color.

Salamander's appearance was slightly different from the attire he wore in Blackhill. Although he kept his military boots and pants, his upper half was clad in a black, unzipped long sleeved jacket that revealed his bandaged torso and hands. His face was uncovered, a white, fresh bandage wrapped around his forehead, with his white scarf sitting around his neck.

His face expressed pure annoyance, as he dodged yet another one of Bacchus' combinations, who clicked his tongue in irritation.

"Buddy, you're starting to piss me off." muttered the drunk, a slight tickmark appearing on his forehead. "I told you to stop messing around and fight me. Use your flames! Just hearing about you and your accomplishments makes my soul waver, so don't disappoint me!"

"Flames? Here? Not interested. Get lost." responded Salamander with a bored voice, gesturing at nearby trees and bushes, irritated as well. His eyes were not focused on his main opponent, as he observed the other Quatro Cerberus mages slowly surround him, pressuring him to take a step back, bringing himself closer to the chasm, his heels mere millimeters away from the edge.

Erza simply watched the scene, relieved she hasn't been spotted yet and glad she decided to hide for the time being - she was here for not even a full minute and one of her questions has already been answered: Salamander avoided combat with legal mages, no matter which guild they were from. But his concern about the forest...just what the hell was inside of this man's head?

Bacchus chuckled mockingly, laughing at Salamander's concern over the damage he could cause.

"No can do, pal. Do you really expect me to just let you go, after I've heard so much about you? Erza? Mirajane?! Not just anyone can walk around with victories over both of these babes over their head! And the reward for taking you down? That's just a bonus!" he exclaimed, licking his lips in excitement.

"No idea who you're talking about." retorted the Dragon Slayer, clicking his tongue in annoyance - escaping without a fight wasn't an option, no matter how hard he tried. The gap in the ground was simply too big to just jump over, not like they'd just like him to anyway. "Also, what reward are you talking about?" he asked the S-Class mage, trying to buy more time.

Bacchus' smile faded, his brow furrowing slightly. "Do you live under a rock? Titania Erza and Demon Mirajane, two of Fairy Tail's strongest mages, don't you remember who you've beaten few days ago?

"Oh, them." Salamander's frown relaxed a little, with a slight glimpse of guilt on his face that didn't go unnoticed by Erza. "What about the bounty? Who put it?" he asked sharply, looking Bacchus in the eye for the first time since the knight's arrival.

"The Council." answered the man, glad he finally piqued his interest. "30 million for taking you down, alive only."

Salamander's eyes glimpsed dangerously, as if he understood more from Bacchus' words than he was supposed to.

"Oh?" was all that came out of his mouth in response.

"I am a simple man. I love women, booze, money and a good fight. You, my friend, fit in three of those things. As you can see, I can't just let you walk out on me." said Bacchus, opening his arms to express himself. "Now, put up your fists. Let me enjoy myself!"

"If I give you the money, will you let me go?" asked Salamander in a carefree tone, throwing not only Bacchus, but Erza as well, off guard.

"What?" muttered the drunk, unsure whether he heard the Dragon Slayer right.

"I can give you the money, if that's what you want. Just let me be on my way." pressed Salamander, confusing Bacchus even more.

It took him a moment to regain his composure, but after a short while, Bacchus started to chuckle to himself, which suddenly turned into a loud laugh.

"You really are something else, buddy. I have to admit, your offer is really tempting." sighed Bacchus, slowly reaching towards his sealed bottle of booze. "But I refuse!" he yelled, ripping the bottle out of its holster. "If you don't come at me, then I just have to force you to do it, simple as that." he smiled wickedly, as he pulled the cork out with his teeth.

Salamander's eyes squinted dangerously, as he extended his left leg forward and bent his knees lightly, his fists catching on fire.

"Don't regret it." he warned his opponent, his voice suddenly sharpened into an intimidating tone, triggering unpleasant memories of their first meeting in Erza. Fed up with this ridiculous situation and sensing yet another tragedy, the knight shot up from her spot and quickly walked up to the scene.

"All of you, cease this at once!" she commanded, earning shocked looks from all present males. Bacchus' eyes widened a little, clearly suprised to see his rival in a place like this. But that didn't last long, as he just focused on Salamander yet again.

"Back off, Erza. You had your shot, this guy is mine." he warned the knight, readying himself to attack.

However his opponent wasn't even looking at him, as he and Erza just stared at each other, both of them ignoring the drunk, his face twisted in a weird mix of emotions, and hers in sheer determination. Determination to find out the truth.

"You don't seem suprised to see me." she said sharply to the Dragon Slayer, staring into his onyx eyes.

"I picked up your scent a while ago. I was hoping I was wrong, though." he responded with a slightly strained voice. "How are your friends? And you arms?" his tone softened a little, losing some of its sharpness, as slight concern crept into his voice.

"Alive and in one piece." answered Erza, relaxing her voice a little to match his. But not because she wanted to be polite or grateful for his concern - she was caught off guard by the sudden change of his tone. For a second, she could swear she noticed relief take control over his face, as if a huge burden was taken off his chest.

"I see. That's good to hear." he said shortly.

All of a sudden, this little action filled her with anger she couldn't even understand herself. She couldn't figure him out, nothing about this man made any sense. No matter how long she bothered her already tired mind, she just couldn't come to a conclusion. Because just when she thought she finally knew what to think of him, he did something to completely ruin it. And that was making her angry.

Erza opened her mouth, ready to express her feelings, but something she caught with her eye stopped her from doing so. Using Erza's distraction to his advantage, Bacchus was now chugging from his trusty bottle, streams of alcohol flowing down his chin. Sensing danger, the redhead quickly got in-between both males, trying to come up with a way on how to prevent their fight from happening.

Bacchus sighed loudly in joy, his bottle already emptied. The alcohol has already started to affect him, his face quickly taking a light shade of red with uncontrollable drunken chuckle coming out of his mouth.

"Don't try to stop me, Erza. If I don't hit something, I may go crazy." he said in-between his laughter, reading himself to strike.

"You don't understand! This will only end badly! Cease this foolishness at once, Bacchus!" she tried to reason with the drunk, Requipping a sword in the meantime. "You!" she turned around to face Salamander, who was also ready to fight. "Stay behind me and don't do anything rash!" she ordered the Dragon Slayer.

For a moment, it looked like he was about to protest, but that quickly changed, as he just yelled "Watch out!", aiming the warning at the redhead.

Erza turned back around, only to see Bacchus' drunk, grinning face in front of hers. Seeing her carelessness as a golden opportunity, he connected a powerful palm strike with both of his hands into her stomach, more specifically where her wound was. The attack caused her pain she's never experienced in her life, knocking all the air out of her body and causing waves of pain pulse all over her body, from the top of her head to tips of her toes, with her bruise being the medium. Her limbs became instantly paralysed as she struggled to breathe, sword falling out of her grisp, and her feet losing ground beneath them, with Bacchus lifting her strengthless figure off the surface with his arms. With one final push, the drunk sent her flying backwards, her body completely not responding to her desperate pleas, as her mind was slowly getting overtaken by darkness. The last thing her eyes registered before falling unconscious was black jaws of the abyss below her, creeping closer, as her limp figure made its way down the chasm.

"Damn...it..." was all she managed to wheeze out before losing herself to darkness.

Reality coming back to her, Erza's closed eyes twitched, her body waking up. Surrounded by silence, she could hear her raspy breathing, her left side pulsing from pain. Carefully, she opened her eyes, only to be met with a scenery mostly covered in darkness, with an orange, gentle light flickering on the rocky ceiling. She blinked slowly couple times, looking around the dark questionably.

"Yo. Looks like you're awake."

Erza's body jolted upwards, making her deeply regret it a second later, her wound reminding her of its presence. Regulating her breathing, Erza looked towards the source of the voice, only to be met with a sitting Salamander, the tip of his finger burning, weakly lightening their current location up.

"Where are we?" she asked him suspiciously as she dragged her body backwards, planting her back against a wall, her eyes glued to his figure. "How did I get here?"

"In a crack inside of the chasm, which apparently led to a cave. I dragged you in here after that guy sent you flying." he explained shortly.

Erza's eyes squinted, as she tried to remember what exactly happened before she fainted. That cursed fool...always thinking with his body rather than his brain. He probably wouldn't even remember killing her, if she did crash into the abyss. Which brought yet another question...

"Why did you help me?" she hissed, more from pain than hostility.

"Why wouldn't I?" he raised his eyebrows, suprised by this question. "Would you rather fall to your death?"

Erza grit her teeth in response, unfamiliar feeling filling her chest. There it was again, her mind rearranging itself like an annoying, unwanted puzzle. But this time, the source of this problem was right in front of her. And she sure as hell was not planning on letting him get away.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked him coldly, confusing the Dragon Slayer even more.

This simple question, these five words expressed much more then they appeared to. For the past couple days, her mind was a complete mess, rendering her unable to focus on anything her hands have touched. There was so much she wanted to tell him, to ask him, to confirm her doubts and fears. But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't put her desires into proper words, with this simple and childish question being her best outcome.

Salamander just stared at her, unsure of what to make out of this question. After a short while, he sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"You'll have to be a little more specific, you know." he answered shortly.

This was her breaking point. This was what she needed, the plain feeling of anger and irritation that dulled her other emotions. All of a sudden, Erza felt as if some sort of a barrier has been lifted off her mind, her messy thoughts finally grouping up in a line that was ready to be turned into words and shot rapidly through her mouth.

"Very well." she whispered, adjusting her back on the cold wall, as she turned her torso towards Salamander.

"Your reputation is nothing to laugh about. The way people talk about you - you're the personification of fear itself. No one knows what you look like, what you sound like, where you operate from. Then, I received information about your apparent taste in Dark Guild hunting. By this point, I thought of you as nothing but a pure fiend, a criminal, and yet, someone I trust very deeply told me there was much more to you than menacing reputation and powerful magic. Hearing this, I've decided to trust said person and either confirm or deny the rumors myself. However the very first time I laid my eyes on you, you were strangling a man to death whilst demanding information, with people burning all around you, as you just stood there, ignoring it. Then, all of a sudden, you tell me and my friends about enslaved women in the basement, while completely disregarding the fact that your hand was one squeeze away from taking someone's life, at the same time saying you wish to avoid combat, with your own power traumatising my comrades in the meantime. Those actions made absolutely no sense to me, they made me genuinely angry - why would someone who has little to no regard to human life concern themselves over fighting legal mages and saving slaves?"

Salamander's eyes were glued to the redhead's brown orbs that were glaring at him, as he listened to her monologue peacefully. He knew it was pure and nonsense gibberish, but it clearly helped the redhead to vent herself out.

"None of this made any sense to me, even when we finally provoked you into combat. Even though I slashed your chest open with my sword, you still pleaded to let you go. At this point, I started to doubt myself, whether I was doing the right thing. Watching you beat my friends with such ferocity and brutality made me genuinely fear for their safety, however no matter how much fury was placed in your fists, you still kept enough self-restraint to stop yourself at the last possible moment. I should have felt anger, hatred at the sight of their pain, but all I could muster was confusion. Why would someone who just a moment ago looked like he was ready to kill many people concern himself with the safety of people who have pushed him so far? For a moment, I was considering putting a stop to this madness. And then, the punch you landed on my body triggered memories I wished to forget, I wanted to forget. My old self reawakened and tried to kill you, almost succeeding if it wasn't for my friend. By the time I put my foot on the ground after removing it off your head, all my previous emotions such as confusion, fear and anger were replaced with a new sensation - disguist. Looking at your blood on my hands made me sick, I wanted to vomit. I couldn't bear to look at you. And yet, despite everything we've done to you, despite putting you through absolute hell, despite the pure fury and hatred you've felt after breaking out of the chains...you apologized."

Salamander's eyes widened in shock. It wasn't her confession that caused this reaction - it was her tears. Erza's left eye started to gradually tear up out of frustration, rivers of salty liquid flowing down her face, as she continued to speak her mind out.

"Why did the one who apologized have to be you? Why didn't I put a stop to this, despite realising that the situation was plain ridiculous? Just thinking about it breaks my heart. I realised that no matter what I do, I'd never be able to look you in the eye, because at the end of the day, I was the criminal. I have discarded all my sense of logic and everything I've been taught throughout the years, and judged you the very moment things started to get out of my hand. I am a coward, I deserve the worst punishment. And yet..."

Erza could no longer contain herself. Sudden and sharp breaths took control over her body, as she just convulsed in her spot, sobbing quietly into her hand. Salamander just sat there, staring at her the same way he has been for minutes now.

"And yet you saved me. Why?" she asked, locking her eyes with his yet again.

Salamander closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose loudly. adjusting himself in his spot as well. He mirrored Erza's position and planted his back up against the rocky wall, crossing his arms on his lap.

"After something like this, I'd be a bastard if I didn't respect your feelings." he said, his eyes still closed. "What's your name?" he asked her, opening his eyes and shifting them at  
the knight's figure.

"Huh?" she muttered while she wiped her face with her forearm, not hearing him.

"I said: what's your name?" he repeated the question, this time louder.

Erza sniffed and and cleared her throat, regaining some of her usual composure.

"When asking for someone's name, it's common courtesy to introduce yourself first." she answered, her tongue regaining its sharpness almost immediately.

The Dragon Slayer opened his mouth, ready to protest, but closed it in defeat shortly afterwards and sighed.

"I haven't told anyone my name in years, you know." he breathed out, scratching his head in the meantime.

"Now's the perfect time to break this tradition."

Seeing that she's not planning on budging even a little, Salamander groaned in defeat.

"Natsu. Natsu Dragneel." he muttered quietly, but loud enough to reach the redhead's ears.

Erza just stared at him with a weird look one her face, which irritated the fire mage. "What?" he asked her.

"Nothing. I was just suprised at how fitting this name is." she stated in response, her tone as casual as if she was talking about weather.

"Whatever. Can you tell me your name now?"

Erza hesitated for a second before responding. "Erza Scarlet."

Natsu looked all over her curled up figure, his eyes hanging on her scarlet hair for a moment longer than her other parts.

"How fitting." he raised his eyebrows, receiving a pitiful look from Erza in return. "Well then, Erza. I guess I owe you something."

He adjusted his back on the wall and took a deep breath.

"Unfortunately, I can't open myself to you like you did just now. But, I can clear out your troubled mind. Is that okay?" he asked, shifting his eyes onto the knight.

"Yes." she answered shortly.

Natsu looked at the ceiling once again and continued.

"The reason I'm known as who I am is quite simple, really. I've been looking for someone for the past 7 years. Finding them is not easy, so I figured if I shake their nest long enough, they'll come out on their own. They haven't. That's why I've been following this path for so long."

Erza, just like he did a while ago, listened in silence. This is what she'd wanted - she had to hear every single word he said.

"I can't blame people for fearing me, after all I earned it. I have to admit, my reputation comes in handy quite often, especially when I get paid. I know people are so scared of me they'll never think about cheating me, so I just roll with it. But..."

The Dragon Slayer stopped for a moment and made a fist, staring at it.

"Deep inside, I know that Salamander is not an exaggeration. This is who I am - a monster. When I confront scum like those in Blackhill, I can't contain myself. I want to make them feel the pain, I want them to suffer, to pay for what they've done, while I tear the information right out of their mouths, getting one, tiny step closer with each pile of rubble I leave behind. I want them to experience true hell, even for a moment. And I feel that with each guild I take down, it gets harder and harder to contain myself. That's why I fear only one thing - the thought that I'm nowhere near close to my goal. That's why I avoid legal mages and the Council. My enemy has been set years ago. I can hardly contain myself when confronting this filth, let alone strong opponents. Like you."

He looked into Erza's widened eyes, his full of sorrow and guilt.

"I apologized for two reasons. One, because I lost control of myself. I aimed my fists at the wrong people, people who have probably done more good than I ever will. The other is related to you, Erza."

"To me?" asked the confused redhead.

Natsu glued his onyx eyes into hers, tension rising in the air at rapid speed. She felt herself gulping unwillingly, awaiting his answer.

"You know, when you change armors, there's one, quick moment where that light doesn't really cover you, so if someone's quick enough, they can see you nake-"

"Shut your mouth!" she yelled furiously, throwing a nearby rock at his head, which he swiftly dodged.

"Sorry." he muttered, raising his hand in apology.

"Stop goofing around and take this seriously!" the knight commanded in raised voice, regretting it immediately afterwards, her wound biting once again.

Natsu kept his orbs on her figure for a little longer, as if considering something. Finally, he decided to spill the beans and raised his left arm vertically, holding it on front of his chest.

"Back then, I realised something about you. Something I assumed not many people know of. Seeing it made me realise that in one way or another, we may actually be similar."

Slowly, he raised his right hand and and kept it hanged in the air for a moment.

"The other reason, is this." he whispered, tapping his left wrist with his finger.

Squinting her eyes, the knight tried to make something out of this gesture. It took her a second to understand him, but when she did, Erza felt fear grasp her heart.

"Y-you..." she stuttered angrily in disbelief, trying to mask her fear with anger.

"Yeah. I saw them." he stated blatantly.

Erza couldn't believe it. In the heat of battle, he managed to see something she could barely look at herself, something none of her friends even knew about. And he dared to say he thought of them as similar, because of them?

Just when she was about to open her mouth to speak out, something hit her.

"Probably lock him up in the guild."

The redhead's eyes widened, a single drop of sweat finding its way down her temple. It was slowly starting to make sense.

"Is that the reason you're afraid of being captured?" she asked the Dragon Slayer, his sudden twitch suggesting she hit the mark.

Salamander's eyes squinted gently, deepening her hunch even further.

"If I got caught, I wouldn't be able to finish what I started. Simple as that"

His response was sharp, quick and transparent. Erza had too way too much experience with liars to realise his words were only half-true, with the other half sealed deep inside his heart. Putting herself in his position, she decided not to dig any deeper, leaving her own assumptions silent and kept to herself.

"Now then, I suggest we get out of here. We've been here for a while now." sighed Natsu, failing at changing the subject.

Feeling mostly satisfied, Erza nodded her head gently. "I agree. If we follow this path, we should find something we can use as an exit."

"Do you need any help?" he asked, watching the struggling knight, as she used the wall as support.

"No need. I've mostly recovered. For the time being..."

Bright, white light filled the cave, as Erza summoned a dull spear, hanging her weight on the thick shaft. "This will do." she finished, as she got in front of Natsu, limping her way to the exit.

Snorting in amusement, Salamander put his right hand behind his head and followed the redhead, lightening up the path in front of her with his flaming palm.

After what felt like an hour of walking, that passed in complete silence, both mages found themselves staring at the light at the end of the tunnel, which grew bigger with each step. Feeling fresh air fill her nostrills, Erza regained a big chunk of her strength, her steps becoming much smoother and faster. With one final kick of the ground, both mages stepped out of the cave, finding themselves on a small hill in the middle of Oakwood's forest, with Lupinus being seen in the distance. The sky was already orange, the sun very close to setting in.

"Can you make it back home?" Natsu broke the silence, startling the redhead.

"Yes, no problem."

The Dragon Slayer nodded and got very close to the edge of the cliff and bent his knees, ready to jump down.

"Before you go." started Erza, stopping him in the last moment, as he turned around to look at her curiously. "Who exactly are you looking for?"

Natsu didn't respond, his body frozen in the weird position that resembled an unfinished squat. After a short moment, he straightened himself back up, his face suddenly growing a menacing shadow on its right side.

"Seven Commandments." he answered shortly.

Erza frowned. She's never heard of this guild, and to her knowledge, it wasn't even listed in Baram Alliance.

"If you ever face any of them, don't hesitate and kill them. You'll actually want to when you realise who they really are." continued Salamander, his voice losing its previous carefreeness.

With that said, he turned back around and bent his knees yet again. "Till we meet again, Erza." he threw in farewell, jumping down the cliff and disappearing in the trees.

The knight shifted her eyes towards the familiar town in the distance. She sighed heavily - she should feel much lighter after this meeting. But instead, she found something else to bother herself with. And it wasn't any lighter.

"Until we meet again." she muttered to herself, the sun finally disappearing behind the horizon.

To be continued in Chapter 5: Comrades.


	5. Comrades

Afternoon of November 22nd, Magic Council HQ, Era

Makarov made his way through the corridors of Council's Headquarters, accompanied by two guards and a redhaired knight walking right beside him. The day of their trial has finally arrived and their fate was about to be decided. The Master already knew what was going to happen, but he kept his head held high, passing by whispering Council members with a small smirk glued to his face. His plan was about to be brought to life.

After few minutes of walking, they found themselves standing in front of the giant wooden door of the courtroom.

"We have arrived. Miss Scarlet, please give me your arms." said one of the guards, walking in front of Erza. The knight looked at him in suprise, but complied and extended her hands in front of her torso. The guard grabbed her wrists and smacked magic cancelling handcuffs on her armored arms.

"Is this necessary?" asked Makarov, raising his eyebrow.

"I'm simply following my orders, sir." answered the guard.

"Are you going to put those on me as well?" joked the Master, joining his hands in front of his chest. The guard merely squinted his eyes and walked up to the door, grabbing the massive doorknob.

"Miss Scarlet." he called out to the knight, inviting her inside.

Erza sighed gently and slowly made her way into the room.

"Be convincing." whispered Makarov when she passed him.

"I know." retorted the woman through her teeth. Couple seconds later, she found herself in the bright, big room as the heavy door closed behind her, cutting off her possible way of escape. The room was rather empty, but spacious, with a big, brown wooden stand where Council members were sitting placed at the end of the room, with a wooden path that led straight to a thick railing in front of it. Erza didn't get to take the sight in, as she felt a gentle push on her back, telling her to walk forward. The knight slowly made her way down the wooden path, checking the stands with her eyes in the meantime. She briefly spotted couple of familiar faces, such as Yajima and Saint Jura, but her eyes were mostly focused on the figure of the Chairman, who sat right in the middle, on something that resembled a throne.

Erza finally reached her destination, as she got in front of the railing and extended her bound hands forward. Her arms were grabbed by a guard, who slid a steel bar right into the link between her cuffs and planted it deep into the ground, seemingly locking the knight in the place.

"Erza Scarlet." Gran Doma's voice echoed across the room, as he stood up from his seat. "You have been brought here to answer for your violation of the law. You are about to be judged accordingly and pledged innocent, or guilty. Do you swear to tell truth, and only the truth?"

"I do." answered the woman, trying to sound as serious as possible.

"Very well. I hereby open the trial of Erza Scarlet, accused of destroying Blackhill Village, acting on her own accord in Dark Mage hunting and acting against the Council's consent and laws." said Gran Doma, smashing the wooden surface with his staff.

"I am so going to make her pay when I get back." thought the "knight", gritting her teeth.

Meanwhile

"I'm counting on you, Mira." thought Makarov, as he walked through the so familiar corridors, exiting the main wing of the building. He had at least 30 minutes until his trial and he knew exactly what to do with them. He made his way downstairs, entering an area he's been to only once. He never expected, or wanted to find himself here for a second time, but those were difficult times.

After couple minutes of walking, his only source of light were dying torches, with the windows completely absent, as the elder man made his way deeper into the dungeon. Finally, he reached the end of the stairs and walked down the dark, dusty corridor, with two guards standing at the end of it right by the barred steel door.

"Sir, you're not supposed to be in...here..." said the guard, trying to stop the Master, however his eyelids have suddenly become heavy, as he fell to the floor along with his partner.

Makarov canceled his Sleep Magic and searched the guard thoroughly, looking for keys. Upon finding them, he turned them in the lock and pushed the heavy door, opening them. The first thing his eyes have registered were two rows of cells, spreading deep into the dungeon. It was dark, so dark he had to make a ball of fire in his tiny hand and hold it in front of him to not trip and fall onto his face. The tiny mage made his way down the prison, walking slowly and checking every plate that was hanged above the cells. The prisoners were curious and suprised by his presence, but remained silent. Some of them walked up to the bars and followed him with their eyes, muttering something under their noses. Months and possibly years of being locked up took its tool on all of these men and women, majority of them out of shape and covered in their dirty, tangled hair.

After few minutes, he found his destination and gulped lightly, his eyes glued to number 100977 engraved on a wooden plate hanged right above the cell. The Master carefully walked up to the bars, gently lightening the interiors of the room.

"To whom do I owe this pleasant suprise?" asked a raspy, sarcastic voice from inside of the cell.

Makarov took these words as a sign of a good start and cleared his throat.

"I think this is the first time in years you had to ask someone for their name, isn't it?" asked the tiny mage, receiving a small chuckle in response.

"I never thought I'd miss it. For years, I wanted to spend at least an hour in silence, yet here I am, wishin' I could hear voices once again. Well then, will you tell me who my sudden guest is?"

The Master hesitated for a moment, sorting his thoughts, making sure he plays his cards right. One mistake could cost him dearly.

"Fairy Tail's Master, Makarov Dreyar." said the tiny mage, deciding to take a risk. Upon hearing this name, the prisoner slightly twitched in his seat, seemingly unsettled.

"I need your help, Cobra. Or should I call you Erik?" asked the Master.

The man's eyes squinted dangerously, as he stared at Makarov's figure. "I ain't even going to ask where you've learned of that name, old man." answered Cobra, his voice losing its previous playfulness. "What do you want from me?"

"Answers." retorted the elder mage sharply, slightly suprising the prisoner. "I am going to ask you some questions, and you will answer them best to your knowledge."

Cobra was stunned, his mouth open, as he just stared at the man. After a short while he regained his composure and started to laugh, his voice rough and dry.

"Well, at least now I know you're funny, old man." wheezed the dark mage, wiping his eyes. "So, your people throw me and other Generals in here for life, and you just come here and expect me to sing for ya? Why do I have to answer any of your questions?" his voice lost any trace of its previous carefreeness, as he now hissed at the elder mage.

"You don't." answered Makarov shortly. "You can remain silent. I will thank you for your time and be on my way. You and your comrades will stay here and spend the rest of your lives in this disguisting place. If you wish to avoid that, however, you can tell me everything you know and I will make sure your sentences will be shortened. Your choice."

Cobra remained silent, staring into Makarov's eyes. None of this made any sense to him, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't interested in the man's last proposition. Still, he had to make sure..

"Why should I believe your words? Nothing you just said makes any sense."

"Do what you think is best, Erik. You are free to make your own choices." retorted the elder, making the prisoner raise his eyebrows. "Right. Forgive me." he sweatdropped, slightly embarrassed of his momentary inability to read the mood.

Cobra waged his options in silence, his mind engaged in a heated battle. The man standing in front of him was an enemy, he shouldn't even consider putting trust in this small figure, and yet, his words were far too tempting to be left ignored.

"You're the first person I've talked to in months, I might as well listen to your blabberin' and kill some time. Can't say I will tell ya anything, though."

Both men stared at each other for a while, before Makarov sighed in his thoughts in relief.

"Very well." muttered the senior. Sweat ran down his temple - his time was limited and Cobra was certainly easy to startle. He had to tread lightly and ask the right questions, as the ice was mighty thin. Still, risks had to be made. He wouldn't get far without taking them.

"I guess I will begin with the most intriguing one..." started the Master, choosing his words carefully. "What do you know about Salamander?"

Cobra's eyes glimpsed in the darkness, betraying him. Not that he'd be in any position to lie about meeting him - the entire Council and at least 12 guilds knew about their encounter by now.

"Sorry, old man, that one is a fat no." said Cobra, trying to cross his bound hands in the shape of an X in front of his chest.

"I know you've fought, Erik. Half of the country does." retorted the Master.

"It's not about that. I just don't sell out comrades, that's all." smirked the prisoner, shocking the elder. Comrades?

"What do you mean "comrades"? Both of you tried to kill each other for all I know, and now you're saying you became friends?"

"No comment." stated Cobra, seemingly closing the topic.

Looking at his watch, Makarov decided to bet everything on one, final card. He disliked playing this role, but he had to pull the Dragon Slayer's tongue to get what he came here for. Personal feelings had to be put aside, as time was playing against him.

"Listen, kid." whispered the elder, stepping towards the cell so close his nose was behind the bars. "I've sent my own children to find this man. They've returned, beaten and mentally broken. I went against the Council, twice, to find out the truth about this man. You will tell me everything you know about him, or I'll make sure you stay here for as long as the Council wants you to. I don't want every single piece of information you have, nor do I want you to betray him. I want the truth."

Cobra stared at Makarov with his eyes slightly widened, clearly shocked by this sudden change in tone. If he said he wasn't taken by by this speech, he'd be a liar. Gulping softly, he figured out he might as well tell enough to keep the old man satisfied.

"Fine. You win, geezer." sighed Cobra, waving his hands in the meantime. "I guess I can spill a bean or two."

Makarov's face relaxed in relief that his stunt did not end up badly. He stepped away from the bars and waited for the prisoner to talk.

"We did fight. He jumped me, Racer and Hoteye in one of our hideouts. We fought, but neither could take down the other. I focused and tried to listen to his heart a little harder than usually, and that's when I realised we were comrades. All of this was one, damn misunderstanding, on both parts. So we just split our ways. That's all. I don't know too much about him, not that I'd tell you anyway. I still consider myself generous for even telling you this."

Makarov frowned. Erza did tell him one of the members of Oracion Seiss had the ability to read thoughts, and that he peeked into her mind, but he never gave it too much thought. One peek into his mind resulted in comradery? Was it even mutual? So many questions, so little time...

"When you listened to him..." started the Master, feeling thin ice under his feet yet again. "What did you hear? What made you think of him as an ally?"

Cobra's eyes squinted, as if he considered whether to respond to this question, or blow it off.

"You really are a persistent old man, aren't ya?" he snorted in response. "Fine. You want to know what I've seen in that thick head of his?"

The Master nodded in anticipation, swallowing his spit slowly.

"A common enemy." he said, grinning mockingly.

"A common enemy?" frowned the Master. "Are you talking about Fairy Tail?"

"No. They are considered taboo, even in the Alliance. Then again, if you release me and other Six Generals out, I can tell you everything about them. What do you say, geezer, wanna learn who I'm talking about?" smirked the man, clearly trying to bargain.

"You know I can't do that. I have no authority to let you out. All I can do is keep my end of the promise, I won't add anything more."

Cobra hesitated for a moment, waging his options. If getting out immediately wasn't an option, getting out earlier was better than nothing. Having decided to talk, Cobra adjusted himsrlf in his seat and spoek out.

"They call themselves Seven Commandments. They are an unofficial fourth leader of Baram Alliance, but they are hated by pretty much everybody. They control almost half of the Alliance, with their roots reaching as far as other guilds' branches. Since they're so despised, none of the guilds wants to even speak to them, let alone fight them. Believe me, they tried. As the name suggests, there's seven of them. No one knows their real names, instead, they use nicknames. Their magics, location, and members are unknown. But there's one thing they don't keep a secret, and that's the reason both us and Salamander want to slaughter them with our own damn hands."

Cobra's voice, previously mocking, was now full of hatred and poison. This sudden change suprised Makarov, making him curious about one certain thing.

"What would that reason be?" asked the tense elder.

Cobra raised his hands yet again, as the chains inbetween his antimagic shackles echoed across the dungeon.

"Let's just say this isn't the first time I was put in chains."

Makarov inhaled through his nose and closed his eyes slowly, seemingly disappointed. But that was not the case, as this small riddle gave him more than he could ever hope for. Previously shattered pieces were now starting to put themselves back together. He looked at his pocket clock, his time almost running out: Mira was about to step out of the courtroom any minute now.

"Thank you, Erik. You have me in your debt." said the tiny mage, bowing to the prisoner.

"One more thing." interrupted Cobra, suprising the elder a little. "It's only a rumor, so don't take it for granted, but I've heard one of them uses mind control. Whether it's true, or not, I leave to ya."

Makarov's eyes widened in shock, as a ridiculous thought formed in his head. No, it couldn't be...But it'd explain everything that happened in past months...

"Why are you telling me this?" asked the elder.

"Normally, I wouldn't say a single word to ya. But, since those bastards are involved, screw my pride. If I can't take care of them myself, I'll let y'all do it. Maybe you'll take out each other, I sure as hell wouldn't mind that."

Makarov smiled awkwardly and shook his head. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that." with that said, he started to walk away from the cell.

"I still want Six Generals to be released. Don't you forget it, old man!" shouted Cobra with a smirk, as he watched the elder mage's back getting smaller with each step.

"I will do everything in my power to keep my word. That, I promise you. Goodbye, Erik."

Makarov waved his hand in farewell and made his way back to the courtroom, restoring all the fallen guards back to normal. His mind was a mess, cut links and thoughts circling all over his brain. He was both glad and scared at the same time - glad, that his hunch regarding Salamander was seemingly correct, but scared that yet another problem has emerged. A problem he had no hopes of dealing with on his own. The truly dangerous times have yet to come.

Meanwhile

Jolene knocked on the heavy, wooden door leading to a personal chamber. Her whole body was tense, mixed feelings clutching her speeding heart. She hated bringing news like this one, especially with upcoming events putting everyone on the edge. She's known him for years, but that didn't change the fact she was most likely to receive punishment for what she was about to report. It was beyond being not fair.

"Come in." called out a stoic, calm male voice from behind the door.

Gulping loudly, the woman pushed the door and slowly entered the dark room, the windows covered by curtains despite it being the middle of the day. The room was seemingly empty, with only a kingsized bed placed in the middle of the room, and a closet standing by the right wall being the only pieces of furniture in the chamber. A tall, male figure was currently standing inside of the closet, his well toned torso naked, as he searched through his variety of clothing. Jolene just stood there, her eyes glued to his figure, as he looked at her for a second, before returning to his activity.

"I hope you have a justified reason to disturb me, Jolene." he said, sliding his fingers on the sleeve of a silky robe.

Jolene quickly dropped to the floor and kneeled in the doorway, cursing her momentary lack of respect.

"Forgive me, Master, I shouldn't have disturbed your rest. However, I have news that you may consider to be crucial." she said, her usually playful voice replaced by a strained, terrified tone. "Just now, The Body has disobeyed an order and left in search of Salamander. We tried to stop him, but..."

The man stopped caressing his clothing and froze in place for a moment. This little action filled Jolene with pure terror, as she closed her eyes, fully prepared to receive her punishment.

"I see. Thank you for reporting this, Jolene." he whispered and returned to his previous activity. The woman opened her eyes, suprised and raised her head to look at her Master.

"Y-you're not mad, Master?" she asked, suprised and glad she wasn't lashed out on.

The man pulled a dark blue robe off a rack and threw it onto his naked torso, carefully straightening up every crampled spot on the material.

"Our plans are going accordingly, regardless of his insubordination. I have chosen him to be the one to carry out this task long ago. Few hours don't make a difference. Salamander has been crucial to our plans for years now. Normally, he should have been captured months ago, however, it appears none of you seem to respect my words. I guess I should be glad at least one of you has decided to take matters into his own hands. Better late, than never."

Jolene gulped. She told them, she told them many times that they should organize a hunt for this kid. But none of them listened, and now here she was, taking the blame for those morons.

"Is this all you wanted to share with me?" he asked, shifting his head to look at the kneeling female, making her jolt at the sound of his voice.

"Yes, Master."

"Very well. You are free to leave."

Jolene bowed once again and rose up from her knees, ready to leave the room.

"Oh, I almost forgot." said the man, making the woman freeze in her spot. "Retrieve Luppi immediately. We are about to move into the final stage of the operation. His presence here is crucial and necessary."

The brunette sighed in relief in her thoughts and turned around to bow to her Master for the last time.

"As you wish, Master Silva."

With that said, she closed the door and put her back against it, sliding to the floor. A loud sigh of relief escaped her mouth, as she just sat there, glad to be in one piece.

"Be careful, Grigol." she whispered to herself, her tone worried, as she looked at the nearest window.

Makarov reached his destination just in time, as just when he walked around the corner, the door to the courtroom opened, with Mirajane, still transformed into Erza, walking out of the room, her hands now free.

"How was it?" asked the Master.

"Property damage and insubordination. They've given me a fine and community work, nothing about jail, though." responded Mira, dropping any signs of her previous act.

"I see. You think they've caught on?" he whispered so that she was the only one to hear him.

"No. They wouldn't have let me out if they did."

"Good point."

Makarov placed his hand on Mira's and pulled it, telling her to kneel down. The female blinked in suprise, but lowered her figure, as Makarov reached out to her ear.

"Head back to the guild immediately. Don't wait for me. Once you're a safe distance away from here, change back into your own clothes and undo the magic. Don't go back for me, just head back home. Got it?"

Mira's eyes widened, as she looked into Makarov's old eyes. "What's going on?" she asked, only to feel his finger on her lips.

"No questions. Do as I say."

It took her a while, but ultimately she nodded and risen up from her knees. Makarov gave her a gentle nod and focused on two guards who approached him, carrying the same set of handcuffs they've put on Mira 30 minutes earlier.

"I'm not wearing that." Makarov shot them down almost immediately, making the guards unsettled.

"But, sir, this is the law..." started one of them, with the other one nodding eagerly, however Makarov's raised eyebrows were too convincing for both of them, and they gave up trying to bind the elder. With small sighs, they pointed towards the courtroom with their spears and accompanied the Master, who gracefully made his way into the room.

Upon entering it, the door behind him was quickly closed and blocked with a wooden bar from the outside.

"This is going to be interesting." thought Makarov sarcastically, chuckling to himself as he walked to the wooden railing, ready to take his spot. On his way, he spotted Jura sitting in his seat. The man nodded lightly to the Master, who slowly blinked back in response.

"Makarov Dreyar. One of Ten Wizard Saints and Master of Fairy Tail. You have been summoned here under suspicion of conspiring against the Council and the world of magic. Do you swear to tell truth, and only the truth?" asked Gran Doma, his voice echoing across the room.

"So this is how they're going to play this out." thought Makarov, smiling sarcastically. "I do." he replied shortly, more amused than worried.

"Very well. Let us begin."

The Chairman sat down in his throne-like chair and extended his right hand, waiting for a Council member to pass a pile of papers in his direction. Upon receiving them, he flipped few pages and cleared his throat, before speaking out.

"On November 16th, the Council has decided to put a bounty on the individual called Salamander. You, and 11 other Guild Masters have been asked and have agreed to cooperate with the Council on this matter. You have been instructed to wait 48 hours after the official decision. You, on the other hand, have broken this rule and sent your guildmembers to fight Salamander not even 24 hours after the meeting. This was a clear act of insubordination and violation of the Council's trust. Your guildmembers are guilty of destroying Blackhill Village, to the point where rebuilding may be impossible. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Muttering echoed across the courtroom, as present wizards whispered to each other.

"I can't deny any of that. However, I had nothing but good interest in mind. This bounty has caused more harm than good. Even as we speak, S-Class mages battle each other in order to get rid of their competition. Instead of uniting against common enemy, they jump to each other's throats. At least two guilds have destroyed each other in a meaningless battle, every single one of them blinded with money. Is this what the Council had in mind?"

Some whispers have reached the elders ears yet again, the Council members seemingly outraged by his accusations.

"And what of Dragon Claw? My kids have managed to solve a problem that suprisingly passed right through the Council's fingers on multiple ocassions, I'm sure it somewhat redeems their "crimes"?" noted Makarov, sarcastically toning the last word and carefully observing Gran Doma's face. He felt his lips move on their own, turning into a small smile, as apparently he hit the mark, with the Chairman's face becoming slightly unsettled, even if for a moment.

"The incident with Dragon Claw was a terrible and unforgivable mistake on Council's part. Necessary matters will be put to action very soon. Changes and reforms are needed, so that we can avoid incidents like this in the future. Everything for the better good of world of magic. As for the current situation between the guilds, everything is under control. Your guild was the main reason behind these riots. Violence breeds violence." retorted the Chairman, his voice slightly wavering.

"Yes, of course. How rude of me. Violence was definitely not in your mind when you compared that boy to a thorn that has to be "ripped out"." pointed Makarov ironically. He was getting more confident with each exchange between him and the Chairman.

The Chairman's eyes narrowed dangerously, as he threw away the papers he kept in his hand and smashed his staff into the floor.

"This meaningless discussion is over. Makarov Dreyar - do you confess to your crimes?"

Makarov closed his eyes and slowly exhaled through his nose. "I have known you for years, Chairman. We had our differences, but I've always respected you. However, for the past couple months, I felt like I was talking to a different man. I'm sure it's just my imagination, though."

The elder opened his eyes, only to be met with Gran Doma's scared face. People present in the room never would have caught it, but not Makarov. He was now sure of his biggest fears and it was time to burn them into ashes.

"Do you confess?" asked Gran Doma, articulating each word with more force than the previous one. His lost composure was now emerging like an empty plastic bottle thrown into the ocean.

"Yes, I confess. I confess to my crimes. I confess to trying to prevent a disaster from happening, and I confess to being blind. Blind to what was happening righr before my eyes for so long."

The Chairman stood up from his seat and smashed his staff into the ground. "Makarov Dreyar. You are pledged guilty of your crimes. You are hereby sentenced to be put in jail, where you will await your sentence. Guards, seize him!"

All the guards saluted to the Chairman and pointed their magic spears at the tiny mage, slowly closing the distance. Majority of the present mages loudly expressed their approval of Makarov's arrest, some of them standing up from their seats. The Master did not budge from his spot, however, as he just glared daggers at the Chairman.

"I don't know who you are, but you have made a terrible mistake. Whatever it is you're planning, Fairy Tail will put a stop to it. Mark my words, Seven Commandments."

Gran Doma was now terrified, as he yelled to the present wizards to assist in Makarov's arrest. Everyone except Jura and Yajima have risen from their seats, ready to seize the tiny mage. The Master, however, raised his right hand and used his Titan Magic to increase its size, before smashing it into the floor beneath him, as he fell down along with the rubble.

"Why haven't you chained him up?! After him! Don't let him escape!" yelled a Councilwoman standing next to Yajima, who bowed his head sorrowly. "Now you've done it, Macky."

Jura stared at the Chairman, his eyes squinted. Despite all the commotion, Makarov's last words did not escape his ears, as the pieces started to put themselves in the Tenth Saint's head.

"I will help in the search. Excuse me." he said, bowing to the Chairman as he made his way down the wooden stand.

The Chairman didn't even notice the Saint leaving, as he struck the floor with his staff, silencing the commotion.

"I hereby disband Fairy Tail! All of their members shall be taken into custody and judged accordingly. It is time we get rid of the main source of all our problems. Today is the day we purge the world of magic off its filth!"

Chanting erupted in the courtroom, as the mages have expressed their joy over the Chairman's decision. Each and every single one of them has awaited this day.

"This is bad. I have to get rid of them as soon as possible Master will not forgive me this failure." thought Luppi in Gran Doma's chambers, blood flowing down his hand, as he bit his thumb nail through in frustration. "The time to purge this world has come."

2 hours later, Magnolia, Fairy Tail Guild

After a long and unpleasant journey, Erza has finally made her way back home. Her stomach wound was still causing her trouble, as she was forced to support herself even after her long train ride, but it was much better than day before. It was late afternoon, but she was sure someone was still at the guild. Limping with her trusty spear, she pushed the door and entered the so familiar building, the feeling of home hitting her right in the entrance.

"I'm back!" she exclaimed to the present members, gaining their attention.

"Erza! What happened to you?!" a worried voice called out to her, as Lucy ran up to the knight, quickly taking her arm and wrapping it over her shoulders.

"Little trouble on the road, nothing to worry about." she smiled at the blonde reassuringly. "It seems my wounds haven't healed as well as I expected them to be."

"Let's have Wendy take a look at you." said Lucy, supporting Erza to her table, where Gray, Wendy and Juvia were sitting, all three of them playing cards. Upon hearing their footsteps, Gray raised his head lazily to take in Erza's figure with his eyes, only to drop them back to his cards after a moment.

"Welcome back. Enjoyed your vacation?" he asked sarcastically, throwing some cards on the table.

"As a matter of fact, I did." retorted the knight, slightly suprising the Maker mage. "Is Master here?" she asked, aiming the question at Lucy.

"No. He left for your trials, with Mira disguised as you. We tried to stop him but..."

Lucy stopped talking as she felt an iron grip on her arm, yelping in pain. "Erza, it hurts!"

"He did what?! How could he do something this irresponsible?!" she asked no one in particular, outraged.

"You weren't back, so he had to manage. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself." shrugged Gray, continuing his game.

Erza looked at his raven head with suprising hostility.

"Is there a problem? You've been pretty bold as of late, Gray." she asked in a low, scary tone.

Gray threw his cards onto the table with unnecessarily high strength and turned around to look at the redhead.

"Yes, there is. Your lack of trust in us. That's the problem."

Erza's eyes widened in suprise. "Excuse me?" she asked, her voice losing its previous sharpness.

"I know you went after that guy. He's the one who did that to you, wasn't he?" he asked, pointing at her stomach with his chin. "You should have told us, even if you wanted to go alone. All you talk about is trust, yet here you are, doing things behind our backs. I'm sick and tired of you keeping secrets from us."

Erza sighed heavily and slowly took a seat right next to Juvia, who desperately tried to focus on her cards, not wanting anything to do with this conversation.

"Everyone has secrets, Gray. That's what makes us human. But don't misunderstand me, I just needed some time alone. This..." she gently patted her left side "was my own stupidity catching up to me. I am not keeping anything from you. We're a team, aren't we?"

Gray's scowl weakened at the sight of her smile, even if only a little. "Yeah. We are." He scratched his head and growled quietly. "Sorry. I'm still frustrated about that whole thing."

"Don't be. I understand you well enough. I think we all do." responded Erza, putting her armored hand on his shoulder. Deep inside, it hurt her that she had to resort to lies, again. But she couldn't share this with anyone, not even Master. This was something she had to deal with on her own. Her possible connection to Natsu was too personal to be exposed, even to her friends.

"Wendy?" she called out to the tiny Dragon Slayer, who tried to copy Juvia and adorably pretended to not listen. Upon hearing her name being called out, she dropped her act and looked at Erza questionably.

"Could you heal my wound? It's nothing serious, but I'd like to get rid of it as soon as possible. Can you do it?" the knight smiled at her.

"Yes, of course." nodded Wendy.

Erza patted the girl's head and stood up, taking her breastplate off.

"Wai...Erza!" shouted Lucy, watching her friend strip right in the middle of the guild.

With a loud thud, Erza placed her armor on the bench and was now standing in just her black tanktop, laying down on the table. She rolled up her shirt to reveal a purple-yellowish bruise to her friends, making Lucy grimace in disguist.

"What do you think?" Erza asked Wendy, who watched the bruise carefully.

"It doesn't look like anything serious. I'll do my best to heal you as fast as possible!." nodded the girl and brought her hands close to the wound, beginning to heal it seconds later.

"There's a storm coming. I can't let anything bring me down. I don't know what, but it's coming, and it will leave a huge impact on all of us." thought the knight, as she watched the bruise change colors already. "Seven Commandments... Whoever they are, this name sounds like trouble. Be careful, Natsu."

3 AM of November 23rd, a tavern somewhere near Magnolia

Natsu lazily rolled the liquid of his drink around, watching it crash into walls of his glass. With a loud sigh he brought the glass down and slammed it into the wooden counter, startling the bartender, who was currently fighting with a stain on the wodden surface.

"How about you go to sleep, kid? I'm kinda sick of sitting here with you." he said in a stoic, yet irritated voice.

"I don't remember asking you, though." muttered the Dragon Slayer, waving his hand lazily.

"This is my tavern! I can't let you sit here alone, are you crazy?" the bartender raised his eyebrows, shocked with the man's logic.

"Why not?" asked the Dragon Slayer innocently, rendering the man speechless.

The bartender shook his head in defeat and resumed his previous activity, scrubbing the wood with doubled force and mumbling something under his nose. Suddenly, the silence inside of the local was breached, as the sound of opening doors reached the ears of both men. Natsu smirked to himself, glad that the bartender was no longer able to kick him out prematurily. He reached out for his glass and slowly started to lift it to his mouth, the strong smell of the alcohol teasing his enhanced nose.

"Welcome. Is there anything you'd like?" asked the bartender with a fake smile. He clearly wanted to close in for the night.

"A bottle of something strong." replied the new client in a low, manly voice.

Natsu froze in place, his hand stopped right in front of his mouth. His eyes widened in shock, his grip tightening as the glass started to crack. He knew this voice. He'd have recognized it anywhere. No matter how hard he tried, this voice still haunted him in his dreams to this day.

The man walked up to the nearby table and sat down, his back just one meter away from Natsu's. The Dragon Slayer gently placed down the remains of his glass, its contents spilled all over the counter.

"Here you go." said the bartender, bringing a bottle to the client's table. He grabbed the bottle and opened it with his teeth, chugging down half of it in one go. After a short while he lowered his drink and sighed in relief, before speaking out.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Natsu's previously tense body loosened up, an unfamiliar feeling filling his chest. "Seven years, to be exact."

"That sure is long." whistled the man in response.

The atmosphere inside of the tavern was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Both men remained in their seats, their backs turned against each other.

"You've found me rather easily. What gave me away?" asked Natsu, not recognizing his own voice.

"A giant pile of rubble that used to belong to my subordinates."

The man grabbed his bottle and emptied it in one go, slamming it into the table when finished.

"It's amazing how one little prick that managed to escape from us turned out to cause this much trouble. I should be angry, but instead I'm impressed. Ya really know how to fuck with people, don't ya, Salamander?" asked the man, his grip on his bottle increasing with each word.

"So I've been told. But you won't have to worry about that any longer."

The man turned around, looking at the back of Natsu's head questionably.

"Because you're not leaving this place alive." hissed the Dragon Slayer, feeling every single bit of his reason being overshadowed by rage.

The man snorted lightly in response. "You really are funny."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, both men kicked their seats and turned around, their fists clashing with incredible strength. A powerful shockwave erupted inside of the local, pushing and breaking the wooden furniture, with the bartender being sent flying into his display of liquor, as he crashed into the bottles, breaking them all.

Natsu felt himself being pushed back, losing the power struggle. His right leg was lifted off the ground, his figure thrown off balance. His opponent didn't waste time, as he was already pulling his left arm back, ready to strike again. His punch cut the air, as it missed Natsu's head just barely, with the Dragon Slayer slipping his head to his right, as he brought his leg down and let it pull his body along with it. The punch was so strong it sent a whirpool of air, which crashed through the wall of the tavern, leaving a giant hole in it.

Using this chance, Natsu stepped in and pulled his left arm back, flames covering his fist.

FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!

He smashed his attack right into the man's stomach, pushing him back a little. However, the attack didn't fully go through, as it was stopped by the mountain of muscles that was standing in front of him.

"Weak." whispered the man, shocking Natsu. "Way too weak!" he repeated, yelling, as he bounced Natsu's fist away with his stomach, knocking him completely off balance. Using this moment, his opponent quickly shifted his weight on his feet and extended his right arm at hip level, seemingly aiming to hit a right hook on the Dragon Slayer's body.

LARIAT!

The man smashed his extended arm into Salamander's left side, making him gasping for air, as blood found its way through his open mouth. Carrying him with his arm alone, the man turned to his left, before giving one final push to his attack, as he sent the Dragon Slayer flying, making him crash through the wall.

Natsu rocketed out of the tavern, rolling on the ground, as he desperately tried to stop himself. Losing any sense of direction, he felt his body come to a halt, with his back smashing into a thick tree, placed several meters away from the local.

"I guess some things never change, no matter how much time passes." taunted the man, as he emerged from the ruins. He was at least 2 meters tall, with green, spiky hair and an enormous, muscled body to go with it. His steps were loud and heavy, as he made his way towards Natsu, who rolled onto his back, sprawling his limbs to the sides.

"I'm supposed to take ya in as fast as possible, but fuck that. I'd rather enjoy myself and beat you into a pulp. Master did say to bring you in one piece, but I guess it doesn't matter if you're missin' a limb or two now, does it?" he licked his lips, which were curved into a wicked smile.

Suddenly, he stopped walking and glued his eyes onto the fallen Dragon Slayer, whose figure started to unnaturally twitch. A sound resembling a chuckle started to come out of his mouth, before he raised his hips upwards and started to laugh into the night sky, his voice echoing all over the nearby forest.

The man simply watched, his face expressing shock, as he continued to follow the Dragon Slayer roll on the ground with his eyes, as he was currently gasping for air from laughter.

"Lost it, haven't ya?" he asked, scratching his head.

With one final laugh, Natsu sighed loudly, slowly getting back up onto his feet.

"Don't get me wrong, Grigol." said the Dragon Slayer, wiping the blood off his face with his sleeve. "I'm just happy, that's all."

Grigol stared to Natsu with shocked eyes, his previous attitude now blown out of the window. It wasn't Salamander's words that shocked him, it was the fact that he stood up after taking one of his attacks as if nothing happened. He heard he got stronger, but this was plain ridiculous.

"This must be my lucky day." continued Natsu, grinning with his bloodied mouth as he slowly made his way towards Grigol "Not only did they finally send one of you after me, but they've sent you of all people. I couldn't have asked for a better gift."

Natsu's body burst in flames, as he stopped few meters before the giant, who was glaring back at the Dragon Slayer.

"I'm all fired up." said Natsu, his face twisted in a horrifying grin.

The battle weighted by many memories was about to begin.

To be continued in Chapter 6: A promise


	6. A Promise

"You're fired up?"

Grigol stared at Natsu, veins popping on his forehead, as he gripped his fist in pure anger. This little punk dared to oppose one of the Seven Commandments? The sheer thought made his blood boil: no one just took one of his attacks head on and just shrugged them off as if nothing happened.

The Dragon Slayer, on the other hand, continued to stare into Grigol's eyes, grinning wickedly. His flames burned the grass beneath his feet and mercilessly heated up the previously cold, night air. He raised his arm and wiped off the remains of blood off his lips, his eyes still glued to Grigol's figure. "Tell me, have you always been this weak? Or is it just me who's gotten that strong?" he asked mockingly.

The man was on his limit, his body shaking from anger. "The fact that I can't kill ya is the only thing preventing me from bashin' your head into the ground, brat." he hissed, raising his fist. "My name has been given to me along with this magic by Master Silva himself. Calling my fists weak is equal to insulting Master himself. For this, I will break every single bone in your body and drag your half dead ass back where it belongs."

The only response he received was Natsu's chuckle, who bent his knees gently and extended his pivot foot, ready to dash.

"On my honor as 6th Commandment: The Body, I will take you down, Salamander!" yelled Grigol, throwing his right arm back.

The man quickly stepped in, suprising Natsu, and brought his fist downwards. The Dragon Slayer backstepped at the last second, dodging the blow, as Grigol smashed his hand into the ground beneath both men. The soil split and a small tremor shook the area, cracks appearing on the ground around them. With Grigol's fist seemingly stuck, Natsu decided to use this chance and kicked the ground, pulling back his fist, ready to strike back.

FIRE DRAGON'S...

Seeing through this move, the giant quickly ripped his arm out of the ground and sent chunks of the ground flying towards Natsu, who had to stop his attack and raise both of his arms towards his face and chest to guard himself from pieces of soil, rocks and mud. Using this chance, Grigol quickly closed the distance between him and Natsu and threw a left straight, aiming for the Dragon Slayer's face. His attack caught Salamander off guard, as his eyes widened in shock, with a giant fist just mere millimeters in front of his nose. Using both his instincts and reflexes to push his body past its absolute limits of agility, he managed to lean backwards at the last possible moment and dodge the strike, which went few centimeters above his nose.

The force of this punch was so great, it sent a whirlpool of air towards a tree and left a giant dent in its trunk, breaking it like a twig. Gulping in fear, Natsu leaned back even more and touched the ground with his hands, pushing the surface beneath to jump backwards and land on his feet, only to see Grigol's face in front of his, as the man pulled his right arm back, ready to strike again. Having no chance of dodging this blow and with his legs still off the ground, Natsu brought up his arms and blocked the blow, his own forearms squashing his nose. The Dragon Slayer was sent flying, his nose leaving a river of blood in the air and his back getting scratched by all the branches and leaves he's passed through. Feeling tired of being thrown around, Natsu backflipped in the air and smashed his feet into a tree, coming to a halt. He pushed it with his legs as hard as he could and launched himself towards Grigol like a missile, igniting his fists in the meantime. But before he could even see his opponent, he was met with a ripped out tree flying in his direction. Terror grasping his chest, he extended his right arm to the side and launched a powerful fireball, its recoil changing the trajectory of his flight. The log scraped his right temple, but he managed to successfully dodge the collision, with the tree smashing itself into its kin, both breaking into pieces.

Natsu landed on his side and rolled on the ground for a short moment, before quickly shooting back onto his feet and shifting his eyes to Grigol's figure, who was standing in his spot, carefully observing the Dragon Slayer.

"He's not giving me any time to think." thought Natsu, wiping his bloodied nostrils with his right thumb. "That power of his makes creating an opening way too frickin' hard. I've already eaten two of those bombs, any more could be dangerous. If I can't get close to him, then..."

Natsu took a deep, relaxing breath and straightened himself up.

"What's wrong, Salamander? Where did all your confidence go?" taunted Grigol, walking up to Natsu who was standing still in his spot. "I was hoping ya had something to back your words up, but as always, all that comes outta your mouth is barking of a dog."

Not listening to the man's words, the Dragon Slayer focused on his strategy, visualising his attacks. Satisfied with the outcome, he extended his pivot and kicked the ground. charging at Grigol, his fists on fire.

"That's more like it!" yelled the man, dashing as well.

Both men ran towards each other at incredible speed, the ground beneath Grigol shaking from the weight of his steps. With around 20 meters between them, he pulled his arm back and readied a right hook. But his plans were spoiled, as Natsu stopped in his tracks 5 meters away from Grigol and puffed his cheeks out, the air around him heating up to an unbearable temperature.

FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!

The forest was flooded by a sea of fire that came out of the Dragon Slayer's' mouth, scorching flames swallowing The Body as well. The force of this attack was so strong the flames have started to scrape the ground, leaving a shallow crater under their weight. Trees and leaves were reduced to ash almost immediately, with everything on the fire's way becoming a wasteland.

Suddenly, the flames were dispelled, as Grigol covered in light burn marks all over his body flexed his muscles and sprung his previously raised arms to the sides, breaking the attack. Remains of flames spilled all over the area, landing on both the fallen trees and the now scorched ground.

Grigol quickly shifted his gaze onto Natsu's position, only to see a blank space where his figure used to be. Looking around and focusing his hearing, the man started to search for the Dragon Slayer. But he didn't have to look for too long.

FIRE DRAGON'S GRIP ATTACK!

Using his Roar as a cover, Natsu snuck up on the member of Seven Commandments and jumped down from above, placing his open hand on the man's back and unleashing his flames point blank. Flames and smoke erupted from the place he was hit in and created a wall between both men.

"This one felt good." thought satisfied Natsu, falling to the ground.

Suddenly, the smokescreen has been breached, with Grigol's arm cutting the air like a knife. Not having any time to defend himself, Natsu took the full extent of this blow, with The Body's right arm backfisting his right side, his ribs making an unpleasant sound.

The Dragon Slayer spit up some blood and was sent flying yet again, his back once again receiving a free massage from branches and leaves. Wanting to avoid a collision, Natsu extended his right arm and caught a tree by its trunk, spinning around it, his flexed shoulder and back muscles crying from pain, as he tried to keep his body stay put in one spot. Upon successfully killing the force, he dropped to his knees and breathed deeply, his right side pulsating and biting with enormous pain. He slowly lift up his jacket and took a peek at his ribs: nothing was broken, but the strike heavily crippled his mobility. Moving around at full speed with this injury was next to impossible, his skin already turning dark purple.

"This wasn't worth it..." wheezed out Natsu under his nose.

"That one was juicy." Grigol's voice echoed from behind the smoke. He soon walked out of it, his body basically unscathed. This sight slightly shocked Natsu, who didn't expect his attacks to deal little to no damage. "Don't look so suprised, Natsu. Deep down, you knew this would happen, didn't ya?" he taunted, slowly closing the distance him and Natsu, who was currently getting back up to his feet. "The feeling of your ribs on my knuckles...I need more!" he moaned, licking his right hand.

Grigol's face twisted in a sadistic smile, as he flexed his calves and kicked the ground, dashing at the Dragon Slayer at much higher speed than before. Instead of stepping in as well, Natsu jumped back and spat out a fireball out of his mouth. Both its size and power were nothing when compared to his previous Roar, which resulted in Grigol simply swatting it to the side with the back of his hand. However dealing damage was not a part of Natsu's plan: the fireball was supposed to act as a decoy and allow its caster to hide in the forest. Seeing that his prey was already hidden, The Body stopped in his tracks and breathed out, relaxing his body. He knew Natsu was waiting for a chance to land a sneak attack, it was too obvious. The same trick would never work twice on someone of his caliber.

Several seconds of silence have passed, with Grigol's ears not registering even a single sound, even after closing his eyes to sharpen his focus. Suddenly his eyes shot up wide open, as he quickly turned around in the direction of a freshly picked up sound, with another ball of fire making its way towards him. He clenched his fist and punched the attack, succesfully breaking it. Not even a second later, yet another one was sent in his way, which was broken just like the other ones.

"You're so scared of my power you've decided to hide like a bitch?!" yelled Grigol, looking around in search of a pinkhaired Dragon Slayer. "Come out and fight like a man! You had bigger balls when you were 11!" he continued to taunt his opponent, only to receive silence in return. The man clicked his tongue in irritation, his patience reaching its limits. He bent his knees as low as he could and sprung up, jumping upwards to a ridiculous height. He stayed in the air for a second, before dropping down like a boulder. He smashed into the ground, creating a crater in the place he landed in and cracked the ground around him, causing a small earthquake. All the nearby trees have started to shake and break, with the remaining wildlife flying away in terror out of the leaves. In this chaos, Grigol's ears picked up a weird sound, followed by a grunt. Grinning madly, he turned around to see Natsu, who was currently laying on the ground, his face grimaced from falling onto his wound.

"There ya are." Grigol licked his lips, his sadistic side kicking in with full force. He turned his body around to face the Dragon Slayer with its entirety and started to walk towards him, his speed increasing with each step. Seeing this, Natsu jumped back, keeping his distance.

"Guess we're turning this into a long-ranged fight then?" asked The Body, raising his right arm in the meantime. He put it on chin level and bent his middle finger inwards, grabbing its first knuckle with his thumb afterwards. He flexed his hand and flicked his finger with incredible force, sending a small whirlpool of wind towards Natsu.

Salamander's eyes widened upon seeing the high pressured air making its way towards him and threw himself to the side. The attack smashed itself into a tree, leaving a small crack in its trunk. Natsu didn't have too much time to rest for, as two other whirlpools were now making their way in his direction. He managed to dodge the second one, however he had no such luck with the third and caught the blast with his guard, its force pushing him 2 meters backwards.

With the attack successfully blocked, Natsu lowered his forearms, only to see Grigol's facer in front of his.

"Got ya." mouthed the man before delivering a powerful uppercut to the pinkette's stomach, making him cough up alot of blood. His body became limp and buckled over, with the Commandment's fist being the only thing supporting it and preventing him from falling onto his face.

Grigol pulled his fist out of Natsu's belly and grabbed him by the collar with his other hand, his limp body swinging in the air gently.

"For insulting Master, I should've ripped your arms off, but I guess this will do. Don't disappoint me and do struggle, that's where the real fun is-"

FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!

Grigol's moment of victory was painfully stolen from him, with Natsu delivering a sharp and compact high right hook, his fist sliding off the man's left temple, across his cheek and right into his jaw. Blood poured out of his freshly opened lip and left eyebrow, his grip on Natsu's collar loosening.

"W-what?! He shouldn't be able to move!" Grigol panicked in his thoughts.

He tried to counter attack with a left straight, which was nowhere near as strong or fast as his previous attacks. This allowed Natsu to swiftly dodge by slipping his head to his right, as he pulled his left arm back and landed an uppercut on Grigol's stomach, paying him back. The man buckled over, blood leaking through his grit teeth onto Natsu's back. Not wanting to miss this chance, Natsu quickly pulled his hand out, ready to attack once again.

However this time, Grigol was prepared, He parried Natsu's overhand right with one of his own, his strength suddenly returning to its previous level. The Dragon Slayer felt himself being pushed back, but before he could lose the struggle, he willingly jumped back and created some safe distance between him and his opponent. They both took deep breaths, recovering from their damage.

"None of my previous attacks worked on him, and yet that halfassed punch messed him up. That counter of his was weak, way too weak, even if I did weaken him. Then again, that followup was just as strong as his previous bombs, and that was after he got nailed with a body blow. Just what the hell is going on..." wondered Natsu, calculating the situation.

He replayed the fight in his head, searching for missed clues that could help him solve this mystery. Its scenario was simple: Grigol dashing forwards, throwing some punches and then making Natsu fly in random directions. But his hunch was telling the Dragon Slayer that something was hidden in plain sight. Something simple, something obvious. He once again relived the last clash: flick, whirlpool of air, dash, punch, Natsu's first successfully landed strike, Grigol's weak, missed counter, second landed punch, strong counter. What was the link between last four parts of this puzzle? What could possibly happen in this short period of time...?

And then it clicked.

Natsu's eyes widened in realization, as he straightened himself up and spat up some blood, wiping his bloodied lips that started to curve themselves into an pitiful smile with his sleeve. How could he be blind? How could he miss something so obvious? True, it was still a theory, but if it was right, the fight was already over. If not, then...

Willing to give it a shot anyway, Salamander looked at Grigol, who has already recovered from his injuries. Emptying his lungs slowly through his mouth, Natsu relaxed his body and waited for his opponents next move. He didn't have to wait for long, as The Body charged at him like an enraged bull. Instead of jumping back and creating some distance like before, Natsu stepped in as well and launched himself straight towards the running mountain of muscles.

DRAGON SLAYER'S SECRET ARTS:

1...

CRIMSON LOTUS: FIRE DRAGON'S FIST!

Without giving him enough time to react, Natsu bombarded Grigol with a barrage of punches, his flaming hands turning into living machineguns. The man was forced to bring up his arms and guard himself, successfully blocking majority of punches that were landing all over his body.

2,3,4...

Due to the sheer amount of strikes, Grigol felt himself being pushed back, with Natsu continuing his rush on the other side of his guard.

5,6,7...

Fed up with being tickled, Grigol flexed his arms and sprung them to the sides, successfully killing Natsu's barrage. The Dragon Slayer was knocked off balance, all his built up force and momentum gone.

8...

With his arms finally free, Grigol took a swing and threw an extended right hook at Salamander's face. The pinkette regained his composure at the last second, ducking under the enormous arm.

9...

With Grigol out of position, Natsu quickly sidestepped to his left and got behind his opponent, his back completely exposed and vulnerable.

10.

FIRE DRAGON'S TALON!

Flexing his leg as hard as he could, Natsu delivered a powerful middle kick right into Grigol's lower back, his foot sending waves of pain all over his kidneys. The Commandment grunted in pain, his back arching itself.

11,12...

Grigol quickly turned around, throwing a left backfist in the meantime. Instead of dodging or parrying it, Natsu caught it with his raised left forearm and pushed the man's arm away, immediately following up with a right straight, which found its way towards the man's nose.

13,14...

Grigol's head was blown back, his nose bloodied and heavily burned. With tears in his eyes and fury taking over his mind, he clenched his right fist and swung his body forwards, using the momentum to increase his punch's power. This time, instead of dodging or blocking it, Natsu bent his knees and jumped back, distancing himself from The Body.

15.

The ground shook and cracked when Grigol's fist made contact with the surface beneath. Chunks of the soil rose up from its spot, forcefully pushed out. Natsu landed on a large piece of the ground, losing his balance upon landing for a second. His face was twisted in an evil and satisfied grin: he was right.

"What the hell are ya smirkin' for?!" yelled Grigol, charging at the Dragon Slayer with suprising speed. his fist landing on the pinkette's quickly put up guard. His feet were lifted off the ground once again, as he was sent flying deeper into the forest. Due to constant abuse from Grigol's power, Natsu's arms have started to give up, small cracks forming on their bones, as he grit his teeth in pain while flying through leaves.

Instead of feeling the cold soil beneath his back, Natsu was suprised by the feeling of water creeping through his jacket, as he landed in a small pond. This small body of water muffled and killed the force of his flight, preventing any further injuries. He drifted limply on its surface, the cold water pleasantly cooling off his sore arms, as he stared at the moon, thinking about his next move.

"That rush was worth it, thanks to that, I now know his weakness. But using it against him will be tricky. All I need is a few seconds, but how can I distract him?"

Natsu's brain worked on full throthle, his ears picking up the so familiar sound of Grigol's heavy steps making their way in his direction. He heard him step into a puddle, and that's when a lightbulb light up in the Dragon Slayer's head.

"You really have a gift when it comes to pissing me off, Salamander." huffed Grigol, squeezing his right nostrill and blowing out the other one, a giant, bloody snot launching itself out of his nose. "Is it because of that stupid village? Is that what it's all about?!" he yelled, taunting the Dragon Slayer, who was currently in hiding. Hearing nothing in response, the Commandment decided to continue his mind game.

"Ya know, at first we thought it was cute. A small kid chasing after the most powerful guild in the world - fucking hilarious. But when we started to lose our supply routes and people started to distrust us, that's when it became a problem. We looked for ya, you know? But apparently after spending all these months with us, you became smarter. Or maybe it was your thirst for revenge that poured some oil into that thick head of yours? Then again, I can't really call you smart, not after picking a fight with us. And what was it all for? A couple of orphans and one stupid whore. Ya really are a walking definition of disappointment, no wonder you can't protect those close to ya."

With his rant finished, Grigol focused his ears once again, looking for a sound of a furious Dragon Slayer. But the only response he received was thick steam spreading all over the area, quickly covering all the surroundings.

"What a persistent brat. He should have realised by now that smokescreens have no effect on me." thought angry Grigol, a vein popping on his forehead. "But I have to give him some credit, he's not as reckless as he used to be."

The Body's eyes searched for any kind of movement inside of the steam. his fist ready to strike when needed. Jumping out or leaving the steam could be dangerous - his opponent could be anywhere. It was better to wait for his attack and secure a successful, decisive strike.

Grigol's right ear twitched, as he turned around and saw a fireball making its way towards him. Instead of parrying it like he used to, he simply slipped out of its way and let it pass by. Not even two seconds later, another one made its way through the steam, flying towards the Commandment's abdomen. This time, he jumped over it and landed on the ground, making it shake under his enormous weight.

Those little shenanigans cleared out the mist, greatly increasing Grigol's field of view. With his eyes joining his ears, he resumed his search for Natsu.

"Yo. Looking for me?"

The Body quickly turned around at the sound of Natsu's voice, who was several meters behind him. His face was taken over by a menacing grin, his bloodied teeth exposed in their entirety and his hands planted deep into the ground up to his elbows.

"Game over." he whispered, as the ground started to shake. Grigol looked around in search of the cause of this tremor, but upon seeing nothing, he looked at the Dragon Slayer once again. He glued his eyes on the Dragon Slayer's hands, gears turning themselves inside of his head. Terror grasped his heart when he realised what was happening, his gaze slowly shifting towards his own feet. But before he could react, it already happened.

FIRE DRAGON'S PILLAR!

A giant tower of purging fire erupted from beneath Grigol, consuming both him and everything on its path. The forest, previously lighted up by the moonlight, was now as bright as during the day, with the tall pillar of fire right in its center. Inside of this pillar was Grigol, flexing his body as hard as he could, trying to endure the scorching flames that were burning his skin. His clothes have already been reduced to ash, the only piece of it being the remains of his pants that somehow avoided the purge. He struggled to keep his breath in check, all of the air currently cut off, his skin hurting more and more with each second. With his body at its limit, Grigol rejoiced in relief, as the fire finally dispelled, allowing him to take a deep, much needed breath. But it was soon sucked in, fear filling his lungs instead.

As soon as the pillar disappeared, Natsu dashed towards Grigol, with his right hand thrown all the way back behind his back. On top of his lit up palm, there was a lightning cracking all over his flames, something The Body knew nothing about.

LIGHTNING FLAME DRAGON'S FIRING HAMMER!

Not giving his opponent any chance to defend himself, Natsu smashed his fist into the man's abdominals, bending him like a pocket knife. His fist submerged itself in Grigol's stomach in its entirety, severely burning the punched place. Flexing his shoulder and back muscles with all his might and roaring loudly, Natsu gave it one final push and sent Grigol flying, pieces of his burned skin glued to the Dragon Slayer's fist. The Body flew through several trees, knocking them down and rolled on the ground afterwards, without even trying to stop himself from crashing into something. This happened pretty soon, his back making contact with an unusually thick tree. He bounced off its bark and spit out alot of blood, before falling onto his face, his previously mighty body now completely robbed out of its strength.

The man desperately gasped for air, a pool of blood that leaked through his mouth forming underneath his chin. Using all the remaining strength of his body, he tried to get up, with little to no success. All he managed to do before he ran out of steam was turn around onto his back. He gently lifted his head up to look at his numb stomach, before feeling his eyes widen in shock.

Instead of his well toned muscles, there was a fist sized, deep hole. There was no blood, as Natsu's fire immediately cauterizing the wound. The inside of said hole was filled with black, charred flesh, with a pink outline spreading around said hole, burned pieces of skin hanging off of the wound.

"10 seconds. That is your limit."

Fear grasped Grigol's heart when he heard these words, with Natsu slowly walking up to the downed man.

"You can use your Body Enhancement Magic for 10 seconds, after that you need to rest for at least 5." he explained, his voice losing any traits of its previous mockery, or confidence. Now, it was filled with poison and pure hatred. "It increases its users physical abilities tenfold. The stronger the users body, the more powerful the result is. You've always been strong, even without your magic. That's why you can cause earthquakes with a single punch."

Grigol's stared at Natsu in shock, unable to believe he figured out what his magic was.

"Don't look so suprised, Grigol. I didn't waste those 7 years, you know. I did some digging. Not just about you, I've figured out most of you by now."

Salamander has finally closed the distance between him and lying Grigol. He stared at the man with cold eyes, his fist clenching itself on its own.

"Before we begin: which arm was it?" he asked in a quiet voice, confusing the man.

"W-what are you talking about?!" he wheezed out in response, his voice overtaken by fear. He felt like he was being stared down by a real dragon.

"Nevermind. I remember now."

In one, swift move, Natsu brought his right leg up and crashed his heel down into Grigol's left elbow, smashing it into pieces. The man screamed out in pain, pieces of his bones planting themselves into the flesh underneath his skin and some of them piercing it, sticking out for the world to see.

"P-please...please, just let me go. I swear, I will never cross you again! I will leave the guild! Just let me go!" he pleaded in horror, tears of pain forming in his eyes. His honor and pride were shattered, along with his body.

Natsu continued to glare at the man, listening to his desperate voice. After a short while, he slowly squatted in front of him, his eyes still glued to Grigol's.

"That's not how it works Grigol." he whispered, slowly shaking his head and raising his eyebrows. His voice was completely stripped off any mercy. "You may not cross me, but you'll cross someone else. I can't let that happen. Not to mention..."

Natsu paused his response and slowly stood back up, leaving Grigol on the edge of breaking down. He stared at the downed man with pure hatred, his pupils turning into slits and his fangs bared.

"I already made you a promise."

Natsu quickly lifted up his leg and brought it down onto Grigol's stomach, his shoe making contact with burned flesh. The man's screams of agony spread all over the forest, echoing through the trees.

"And now you're going to sing for me." whispered Natsu, silenced by Grigol's crying.

Morning of November 23rd, Seven Commandents' HQ.

A brownhaired woman sat on the edge of a railing of a balcony, looking far into the ocean spreading in front of her. Her eyes burned, both from looking at the gleaming water for so long and lack of sleep. She sighed quietly for tenth time in the last 5 minutes and pinched the bridge of her nose, massaging her sore eyes.

"Trouble sleeping?"

Jolene jumped in her seat, startled by the gentle voice behind her. Turning around, she felt her body relax at the sight of her guest. It was an elderly man of quite high height, clad in black suit pants, brown vest and a white, long sleeved shirt underneath it. His head was covered by middle-length gray hair, with a thick mustache underneath his nose. He watched the woman with his blue eyes carefully, a slight glimpse of concern imprinted on them.

"Arthur...you're back." muttered Jolene before turning back around.

The man sighed and walked up to the woman, placing his hands on the railing right next to her.

"You're worried about Grigol, aren't you?" he asked, receiving a nod in response. "He's always been like that. Charging in without a thought and making us all worry. I understand why you're so concerned about his wellbeing. But has he ever failed a mission?" he asked her once again, this time receiving a shake.

"It's not like that." replied Jolene shortly. "I know he can pull it off. It's just..." The woman paused and gripped the railing harder. "This time, I have a bad feeling about this. That something has happened to him." she finished with a broken voice.

Arthur looked at her, suprised. After a short while he chuckled, irritating Jolene.

"What?!" she asked him, annoyed.

"You should tell him when he gets back." he replied, confusing the woman. "How you feel, that is."

Jolene's face quickly changed color to red, her voice stuck in her throat.

"It's not like that!" she yelled, punching the man in his arm, who laughed in response.

"I jest, I jest, child. " he laughed, massaging his arm. "I know you two have been together ever since you were kids. You're practically siblings. Your concern is natural."

Jolene pouted and shifted her eyes back to the ocean, watching the subtle waves. She wasn't so sure of those feelings herself. Grigol has always taken more missions than the others, and yet she never worried about him even once. But this time was different. She just couldn't shake off that feeling that something terrible has happened. The red sun spreading above the ocean didn't help either.

"If it makes you feel any better." Arthur's words knocked Jolene out of her trance. "I have brought Luppi back. You can head down and greet him, if you wish. He's in the main hall, along with Jellal. I suggest you hurry up, otherwise something disgraceful is bound to happen with those two together."

"Is it time?" she asked, forgetting about her worries for a moment.

"It is." confirmed Arthur, nodding. "All we have to do now is await Grigol's return. I trust he will successfully capture Salamander."

Jolene's eyes narrowed upon hearing this news. After so long, they were finally one step away from fulfilling their dream. She jumped down onto the balcony and looked at the ocean one last time, before getting inside of the building..

Few minutes later, they both found themselves in the main hall. Luppi was sitting by the table, a cup in his hand. On the other end of the table sat Jellal, his legs crossed and a smirk glued to his face.

Luppi lifted his head to look at Jolene, before giving her a weak wave. His face was paler than usually, with a shade of green creeping onto his cheeks. The woman walked up to him and muffled his hair, greeting him.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, restraining herself from teasing him. The longer the distance he had to use his magic on was, the more nauseous he was.

"Like shit." replied the teenager, taking a sip of his drink. "Where's Grigol?" he asked, making Jolene freeze in her spot.

"He's on a mission." replied shortly Arthur, taking a seat as well. Jolene sent him a grateful look, before sitting down herself.

"So, how was your last day in the Council" she asked the teenager, making him frown.

"Way too nerve straining." he replied, making her raise her eyebrows in confusion. "Fairy Tail's Master is onto us, he almost exposed me during his trial."

Jolene's eyes widened in shock. "Please, tell me you got rid of him!" she yelled, standing up from her spot.

The teenager weakly shook his head, greatly distressing his companions.

"He ran away, but I've already taken of the problem. Tomorrow, Fairy Tail will be no more."

Jolene sighed in relief and sat back down. "Atta boy!" she complemented him, patting him on the head.

"Now all we need is Salamander." threw in Jellal from the end of the hall. His words reminded Jolene of her bad feeling, the grip on her cup increasing.

"Yes. We do." she replied weakly before emptying her cup in one go. "Just get back safe, little brother."

Early afternoon of November 23rd, Fairy Tail Guild, Magnolia.

Erza pushed the heavy door leading to the guildhall and entered the building. Usually half empty hall was now completely full, with almost every single member present. They all received a weird and unusual order: to arrive at the guild by noon. Erza's frown that was glued to her face for the past hour deepened even further. Something smelled fishy.

"Erza!" a familiar voice called out to her, her team sitting in the right corner by one table. Unsuprisingly, they were accompanied by Mirajane, Gajeel and Juvia. Ever since the incident in Blackhill Village, they all spent their time together.

"You're finally here! I was about to go get you, you know." said Lucy, scooping on the bench to make some room for Erza. The knight thanked the blonde and sat down.

"Forgive me. I've slept suprisingly long this night." smiled Erza, getting rid of her troubled face. Her eyes noticed Mira staring at her, so she shifted her head to meet the woman's eyes. "I heard you had to take my place at the trial. I'm sorry, Mira."

The Demon waved her hand in response, dismissing the matter.

"Don't sweat it. I was planning on making you pay for making me go through this mess, but what they've given you is far more satisfying." she smirked, confusing the redhead.

"All I can do is trust your words." sighed Erza. "Is Master here?" she asked.

"No. He told me to head back on my own, but he never returned to the guild." Mira shook her head.

"Maybe he got lost in a tavern on his way back?" asked Gray, lazily reading through his magazine. "He always wastes at least one day on his way back."

"Then how come he gathered us here?" asked Lucy. Gray simply shrugged and got back to reading.

"Come to think about it, I was told to come here by Juvia." wondered Mira out loud, looking at the girl.

"I've been told to spread the message by Wakaba." replied Juvia, looking in the man's direction.

"Hey, don't look at me." he raised his hands defensively from a nearby table. "Someone told me to pass it on, so I did."

Erza frowned. Something was definitely not right here. If Master was currently absent, who ordered all the members to gather here? For what purpose?

"It's way too frickin' noisy in here." whined Gajeel, standing up from his seat. "I'm out."

"You're not going to wait for Master? You'll get in trouble." Lucy called to him.

"Like I care." he muttered under his nose, making his way towards the exit.

Just when Gajeel was about to push the door, he noticed that it was way too heavy than it used to.

"What the..." he grunted, pushing the door even harder, only to feel his body being pushed back.

"What's wrong tincan, can't handle the door?" yelled amused Gray, watching the struggling Dragon Slayer in amusement.

"Shut yer trap! Something is blocking the door! Come and see for yourself, stripper!" retorted Gajeel, pushing the door with his shoulder.

Gray sighed and stood up from his seat, with the guildmembers laughing at the scene in the background.

"Fine. Let me teach you how to open the door." said Gray, dragging out the syllables. He pushed Gajeel aside and stood in front of the door. "You extend your hand like this, you put it on the doorknob, and..."

Gray tried to open the door, but failed to do so. His hand was pressing the doorknob as hard as it could, but it didn't do any good. Feeling his cheeks turning red, he tried pushing even harder, with no effect what so ever.

"What's wrong, Gray? You're having trouble with the door as well?" taunted one of the wizards, making the others laugh.

"Shut the hell up! There really is something here! Freed!" he yelled, turning around to look at the green-haired man. "Stop messing around!"

"I am doing no such thing." replied Freed. "Stop pushing your own failures onto me."

"Damn it..." cursed Gray, walking away from the door. "I'll show you then!"

He smashed his fist into his open palm, ready to bust the door open, but before he could use his magic, Gajeel punched it with his iron club. The attack didn't even reach the wood, his hand stuck in the air, which was currently pulsating unnaturally.

"Believe us now, pricks?" hissed Gajeel, killing the laughter.

Erza walked up to the two, curious about their shenanigans.

"What seems to be the problem?" she asked, seeing both males in fighting stances.

"Something's blocking the door." explained shortly Gray, deepening the knight's frown.

The redhead walked up to the door and tried to put her armored hand on its surface, only to get stuck midway through by something solid.

"Is this a barrier?" she asked herself, caressing the wall.

"That is exactly right."

In one, swift motion, all three wizards jumped away from the door, a voice echoing all over the guildhall.

"This voice...Lahar?!" asked Erza loudly.

"I have no obligation of responding to this question." replied the voice, confirming Erza's question.

"Why the hell have you locked us up?!" asked Gray.

"Every member of Fairy Tail is under arrest, be it present, or absent. That is the Council's official decision."

Gasps of shock filled the hall, followed by outraged voices.

"What did you..." started Gray, only to feel an armored hand on his mouth.

"Let me handle this, Gray." whispered the knight in a commanding voice. The Maker mage nodded slowly, receiving a small smile from the redhead in return.

"What is the meaning of this, Lahar? Why are we under arrest? Is this because of what happened a week ago?" asked Erza.

There was small pause after this question, before the Council member's voice echoed across the hall once again.

"Makarov Dreyar has been found guilty of treason against the Council. He fled before being arrested and is currently a fugitive. Fairy Tail has been officially disbanded, with its members sentenced to prison for cooperating with the traitor."

The guild was now completely silent, everyone gagged by shock. Erza's eyes widened in shock upon hearing this. Master, a traitor? Fairy Tail disbanded? The mere thought of these ridiculous lies stripped her off any restraints, as the knight felt her jaws clenching from anger.

"This is absurd!" she yelled, scaring her friends. "If you want to punish someone, punish me!" she banged on the barrier as hard as she could with each said word.

"This matter is closed. You will all remain inside of this barrier until our reinforcements arrive." Lahar's voice echoed for the last time, before being cut off. Silence fell inside of the guild, everyone at loss for words.

"Lahar!" roared Erza, smashing into the barrier once again with no effect. She grit her teeth in frustration, her hands sliding off the barrier.

"Freed!" called out Gray. "Can you do something about this barrier?!"

"I'm already on it, Gray." replied the man, his hands analysing the invisible walls "But I don't think I'll be of any use. This magic is far more advanced than my Runes, canceling them may be next to impossible."

"We do know something." a voice echoed across the guild, everyone looking in its direction. It belonged to Levy, who, just like Freed, was checking the barrier out with her hands. "This barrier is a one-way type, meaning that objects, or in our case people trapped inside cannot get out, but anyone and anything can get in at any time."

"I do hear lots of footsteps and voices outside as well." threw in Gajeel, his ear glued to the barrier. "They're dragging something, too. If you ask me, the bastards are planning on gassing us."

"Can't we just bust out of here?" asked Elfman.

"No, we can't. Even if we all strike at once, all we will do is destroy the guild. This is the exact same type of barrier they used on us after our fight with Oracion Seiss. All we can do now is look for a way out or wait for someone to break it from the outside." replied Erza, her voice regaining its composure. Losing her head at time like this was unacceptable.

"We can go to the library and look around, we might find something useful." added Mirajane, receiving approving nods from many members.

"I'll go with you, I'm way better with theory anyway." called Levy.

"Alright. Let's go!"

Mira, Levy and several other guildmembers ran towards the library, leaving the main hall. The remaining members started to look around the guild for any possible holes or cracks in the barrier, their voices getting on top of each other, which caused small chaos.

Erza placed her hand on the barrier once again, thinking about the circumstances that led to this moment. Before her meeting with Natsu, she'd blame herself for this situation. But now, even if she wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to feel guilty. Ever since their talk in that cave, she felt some sort of weird connection with the Dragon Slayer, that prevented her of feeling any ill will towards him. But what if she did capture him...?

She shook her head, knocking these thoughts into the back of her mind - right now, she had to focus on getting out of here. Time was limited.

"Has anyone found something?!" she yelled, before stepping into the crowd.

Few hours later

Unfortunately, Fairy Tail mages have not found anything they could use to break through their prison. Levy and Freed tried everything in their power, before finally hanging their gloves and falling onto the chairs, both exausted. Books and scrolls were thrown around all over the guild, none of them useful. Those less gifted when it came to intelligence tried to break through with brute force, but all they managed to do was damage the guild and receive a punch from Erza as punishment.

"This is beyond annoying, how long are they planning on keeping us here?" asked irritated Mira, kicking the barrier.

"You heard him: they're waiting for more soldiers. They know we'd steam roll them right now." answered Cana, who was currently emptying yet another barrel of booze,

"This is messed up." groaned Gajeel, who was currently lying on a table. He figured that since he can't get out, he might as well sleep through this mess.

"There has to be something we could do..." wondered Lucy, her index finger caressing her chin. "Maybe I could try to summon Virgo?" she asked, directing the question to Erza.

"If even Laxus can't break this barrier, I doubt she can. I'm sorry, Lucy." sighed the knight, pointing at the charred wall with her thumb. The Dragon Slayer was irritated with this situation, to say the least, so he tried to break his way through. The only thing he broke was the left wall of the guild.

"I'm sorry, everyone." apologized Levy, her voice tired. "If only I knew more about this type of magic..."

Lucy and Lisanna immediately ran up to her, trying to comfort her. Erza looked around the guild, a sad frown forming on her face. This situation was heavy on everyone, not only Levy. People were tired, irritated and easy to startle. Not to mention the air supply was much smaller than it was before - with all exits shut down, they were left with the same air they were shut down with. Breathing the same, used air for so long was not healthy, no matter how tough a person was.

Suddenly, Gajeel shot up from his spot, and shifted his head towards the door.

"What's wrong, Gajeel? Smelled something bad?" asked Mira, bored out of her mind.

The Dragon Slayer ignored her and quickly ran up to the door, gluing himself to it.

"More soldiers?" asked Gray, walking up to the man, with Erza and Lucy following him suit.

Gajeel ignored this question as well and put his ear up against the barrier. Seeing that his guildmates opened their mouths, wanting to say something, he put up his hand and silenced them, focusing his ears on what was going on behind the barrier. His sensitive ear picked out something that resembled an explosion, followed by multiple muffled screams. The sounds started to become clearer, creeping towards the door with each couple seconds.

"W-what are you doing, you fiend?! Where did you-" a man screamed, followed by his grunt of pain. This one happened mere few meters away from the guild.

Gajeel's ear twitched and caught the sound of footsteps, walking up to the door. A short moment later, the person was standing right by the door, mere centimeters of the barrier and door separating them and the Dragon Slayer.

Gajeel's eyes have suddenly widened, as he jumped away from the door. "Everyone, get back!" he yelled, startling Erza and her team. The trio jumped back just in time to avoid an explosion, as the door to the guild suddenly blew up with incredible strength. Fire consumed the entrance, with pieces of charred wood and metal flying all over the guildhall, scaring the mages. Some members fell to the ground, the whole building shaking.

"What the hell is going on?!" yelled Cana, falling off the bar counter.

The tremors have finally calmed down, the guild being filled with smoke and dust. Erza, who had Lucy in her arms, let go of the blonde and looked towards the exit, her eyes squinted. Gajeel, who landed on top of a table, looked in the explosion's direction as well and sniffed the air, the smell of burned wood filling his nostrils. But that was not the only smell he picked up, His eyes widened in shock, and his fist clenched, the memories of his previous battle resurfacing with full strength.

"Y-you are..." he growled, baring his teeth.

Erza stared at the newcomer, her face as shocked as Gajeel's. Why was he here?!

A man of average build has emerged from the smoke, the defeated and unconscious Rune Knights covering the floor behind him. His face, hands up to his elbows and his previously black jacket were covered in crimson, dried blood. His step was slow and unsteady, as he walked into the guild over the debris. His messy and tousled pink hair covered most of his face, as he searched through the guild with his onyx eyes.

"Salamander!"

To be continued in Chapter 7: Alliance.


	7. Alliance

"Who is this?"

"He's covered in blood!"

"Did he come here to save us?""

Gasps of shock echoed across the guildhall, with the dust finally settled down. Fairy Tail wizards looked at their new guest with confused and terrified eyes, which were shifting between the bloodied figure of the Dragon Slayer and defeated Rune Knights sprawled all over the floor behind him. After a brief moment of shock, braver members ran up to the front, creating a line of defense, putting up their fists and readying up their magic.

"What the hell is he doing here?!" asked Gray rhetorically, his hands creating an icy mist. "What's up with this blood?! Gajeel?" he asked, shifting his gaze onto the Iron Dragon Slayer for a short moment.

"It's too dry to know for sure, but the way he smells right now, I say it's mixed." growled Gajeel, his right hand turning into a sword. "Bastard's been fightin' someone not too long ago."

Natsu walked up to the group, making nothing out of their hostile welcome. His eyes weren't even entirely focused on the mages in front of him, as they continuously searched all over the guildhall, quickly passing from one face to another. His nose was constantly sniffing the air, taking in the smells of burned wood, smoke from Knights' weapons and people before him. It was painfully obvious he was looking for something. Or someone.

Lucy, who was standing behind her friends, stared at Natsu with widened eyes, her mind going through a battle. On one hand, she was terrified of this man. The memories of his heavy, disguisting magic haunted her to this day. But on the other hand, something was dulling this sense of fear. And she knew exactly what it was.

Suddenly, she felt a gentle tug on her skirt. Looking down, she noticed Wendy, who was standing behind her, her eyes stuck on the pinkette.

"Lucy, who is this?" she asked in a low, scared voice.

Lucy's eyes narrowed in sadness. She knew that Wendy was more than happy to learn there was yet another Dragon Slayer, other than her, Gajeel and Laxus. But this horrifying display was not what she could've ever expected to see.

The blonde put a hand on the tiny Dragon Slayer's head, gently tousling her hair. "Don't worry, he's not going to hurt us." she said with a smile, hoping that she was right in her thoughts.

Having not found what he was looking for, Natsu stepped in even closer, making the Fairy Tail wizards even more tense. His eyes and nose were working all the time, searching around the guild. He didn't even realise he was mere few meters away from Gray and Gajeel, who were more than ready to throw down with the intruder.

"Natsu!"

A sudden call snapped everyone in the hall out of their trance, as they all looked in the direction of the voice. Natsu's head, previously rotating on his neck and searching through the guild, made a sudden and fast shift at the person the voice belonged to. His eyes slightly softened upon seeing its owner, a long breath making its way out of his nose.

Erza walked out to meet the Dragon Slayer, her armored steps echoing across the now quiet guildhall. She stood right in-between Natsu, Gray and Gajeel and stopped in her tracks, physical telling her friends to stay out of it. But they had none of that.

"Natsu?" repeated Gray, his eyes stuck on the back of the redhead's head. "Since when do you guys know each other by first name? Is this what you were doing in your "free time"? Getting friendly with a criminal?" he snarled, not giving a damn about his tone.

"Stay out of this, Gray." replied shortly Erza, her tone low and commanding.

"Like hell we are." threw in Mirajane, her eyes glued to the enemy Dragon Slayer. "This guy tried to kill us, and you just greet him like nothing happened? Get real!"

"I said, stay out of this!" yelled Erza, turning around to send a quick, commanding glare at her friends that sent chills down everyone's back. This wasn't the usual, scary Erza. This was something much, much more terrifying.

After getting what she wanted, Erza turned back around and looked into Natsu's eyes, questions circling in her mind and sweat running down her face.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him in a quiet, but not hostile voice. This was one of the main questions she wanted to ask out loud.

Natsu didn't answer immediately. He looked puzzled, confused, maybe even scared. Whatever the reason he came here for was, it wasn't easy for him.

"I need your help." he replied after a short while, his voice tired and heavy. Erza could tell right away that something was weighing him down.

Before she could reply, however, a voice from behind her cut her off.

"You've gotta be shitting me!" yelled Gray, making few steps towards the Dragon Slayer. He got so close he was standing right behind Erza, who had to extend her right arm and put it on his chest to stop him from getting any closer. "After everything you've done, you come to us for help? Stop screwing around!"

"You threw the first blow, remember?" shot back Natsu, his voice sharp and impactful. "Besides, I'm not asking for your help, but Erza's."

Gray inhaled dangerously, his pressure on Erza's arm growing with each second. Natsu's response only made him angrier, same with the rest of the guild.

"I told you to stay back!" yelled Erza, putting her hand on Gray's sternum and pushing him back. The Maker mage took few quick steps back, completely unfazed by Erza's angry aura. His eyes were still focused on Natsu.

The redhead turned around, feeling more irritated than previously. She looked at Laxus, who was standing at the back of the guild, his eyes watching Natsu with a slight note of interest. The knight bit her lip in frustration - with Master gone, he should be the one to take control over the situation, not her.

"What business do you have with me?" she asked the Dragon Slayer, turning back around to face him.

"I'd rather not talk about it in here." he replied shortly.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure you can share it with all of us, Natsu-kun." threw in Mira in a mocking, poisonous voice.

Erza gently grit her teeth at her friends remark, stopping herself from bursting on the Demon. Natsu, on the other hand, was completely not taken by the woman's taunt and kept his eyes on the redhead. The intensity he stared at her with for the past few minutes was starting to make her feel uncomfortable.

"You really have big balls, comin' here and all." hissed Gajeel, stepping in as well. "We've got a score to settle, prick."

"Agreed." added Mirajane, punching her open palm.

The situation was getting out of control. No matter how hard she tried, there was no way she'd be able to stop her friends from attacking Natsu. Erza tried her best to push them back with her hands, but even she had a limit of what she could do. Stopping three outraged mages would be hers.

"All of you, stop this at once!"

The sudden yell made everyone jump a little in their spots, many heads turning in the direction of the voice. Erza's eyes widened upon seeing who the scream belonged at, as her brown eyes were now locked on Lucy's figure, her face expressing pure anger and disappointment.

"Have you all lost your minds?!" the blonde asked in raised voice, walking towards her team. "Are you really planning on fighting here, in the guild? Have you forgotten that we were the ones who attacked him, not the other way around?! Are you really this obsessed with personal revenge? Is this how Fairy Tail deals with things?"

Mira, Gray and Gajeel stared at Lucy, their eyes wide.

"You saw what he did to us, Lucy. To Blackhill, to that guild." said Mira quietly, slightly scared of the blonde.

"He also saved those girls from death, or in worse case, being someone's possession." retorted sharply Lucy. "You." she said, shifting her eyes onto the pinkette. He lifted his head up to look at her, his onyx eyes taking in her burning gaze. "You acted under cover and walked down to that basement. You checked up on those girls and told one of them to hang on for a while longer, and that you will save them. Then, you walked back upstairs and destroyed the building. Is that right?"

Mira's eyes widened, her head quickly turning on her neck in the Dragon Slayer's direction. He kept his eyes on the blonde, his face unreadable. After a short while, he gave her a light nod in response, taking his eyes off of her and gluing them to the floor once again.

"If he wanted to genuinely hurt us, he wouldn't have repeatedly asked Erza to let him go in the middle of combat, and he wouldn't have broken us out of this jail. Think with your heads, not fists." she finished in a scolding tone.

This silenced the trio, seemingly stripping them off their will to fight. Taking this as a sign of victory, Erza lowered her raised arm, feeling her friends relax as well, even is only a little. She turned to Lucy and gave her a light nod of acknowledgement, her lips curved in a genuine smile.

"You can tell me here, in front of everyone. Nothing bad will happen, I promise you." she said to the Dragon Slayer, turning back around to face him, her voice calmer.

Natsu's eyes narrowed, as he weighed his options. For some reason, he was hesitant to share his information with the knight. If she hadn't met him few days ago, she'd have thought it was a trap. But for some reason, she was willing to put a small piece of her trust in this man. something that's always been hard for her.

Natsu breathed out loudly and closed his eyes, his previously tense body relaxing. After a short moment, the pinkette opened his eyes, once again locking them on the redhead's figure.

"Seven Commandments. I've found them." he said.

Erza's eyes widened in slight shock. Not few days ago, he confessed to her that he had no trail of those people, that he was walking around in circles. Yet here he was, 2 days later, covered in blood and aware of their whereabouts. The knight looked all over his body, only now fully taking in his appearance - he was in a sorry state. The bandages on his hands were pure red, with pink, swollen skin of his arms peeking out of the remains of his sleeves and bandages, his bones fractured once again. His previously white scarf was now stained in dry blood, its splashes forming bizarre shapes on its previously scaly pattern. His black jacket was tattered and open, revealing his naked torso, with a giant, dark purple bruise so similar to hers covering right side of his upper body. It didn't take a genius to deduct how he managed to acquire this information.

"The Seven what now?" asked Gajeel.

"Seven Commandments." repeated Natsu, shifting his gaze onto the Dragon Slayer. "The most powerful Dark Guild in the Alliance."

"Pretty sure Grimoire Heart holds that spot." threw in Cana from the back of the guild.

"Yeah, I've never seen those guys in the Baram Alliance, and I've looked at this tree quite a few times by now." added Mirajane, her eyes narrowing. "Something smells fishy here."

"That's because they are the tree itself." retorted Natsu tiredly. "They control almost half of the Alliance from the shadows, they are at constant war with the Leaders. They're so strong they could wipe out all three of them if they wanted to."

Mutters of shock and disbelief echoed across the guild. Even Erza was suprised - back in that cave, he never mentioned those people were this dangerous.

"Why should we believe you?" asked Gray. He calmed down, but kept his guard up. "None of us has ever heard of them, and we both know what sort of a reputation you have."

"And why do you know so much about them?" added Gajeel.

"Because I've been chasing them for 7 years now." retorted Natsu, looking into the Iron Dragon Slayer's eyes. "Dragon Claw was one of their outposts and supply points, that's where they took their cargo from. That's why I attacked them."

Gray frowned. "Cargo? Supply point? What the hell are you talking about?"

Blood froze in Erza's veins, gears turning in her head. Dragon Claw was taken down for kidnapping women and keeping them hostage. Natsu knew about her past and sympathized with her. Natsu's character shifted whenever the Commandments were mentioned. Could it be...?

"Slavery." answered the Dragon Slayer in a cold, emotionless voice. "Seven Commandments deal in slavery."

The Maker's eyes widened in shock, just like the rest of the guild. Lucy immediately shifted her worried eyes to Erza's figure, who was currently staring at the floor, panting lightly. Her chest felt heavy, as she brought up her arms to look at them, painful memories resurfacing with full strength. She looked at her wrists, her mind imagining chains locked on her armored hands.

"They've been enslaving people for years now. They don't sell them, or keep them - they use them for labor. They make them work for days, sometimes not letting them sleep. They keep this on until they die, then they replace the corpses with a fresh batch of slaves." continued Natsu.

"How is that possible?" asked Lucy, her mouth covered with her hand. "How can they get away with this?"

"A scary reputation and wide back, ain't that right?" asked Laxus.

Natsu nodded. "No one sane would ever go to war with them. Even if they don't deal with their problems themselves, they have many pawns to use as they please."

"And that's where you step in, right?" asked Mira sarcastically. "You walk around and knock those pawns over?"

"Yeah, especially during recent months. Because this is where their plan comes in." he replied, oblivious to the woman's tone.

"Would you mind letting us in on that plan of theirs as well?" asked a voice, its owner standing in the entrance.

Natsu turned around in his spot, putting his guard up. He noticed a small, elder man standing on the rubble, with several people walking in behind him.

"Master!" exclaimed Lucy, snapping Erza out of her trance. The knight lifted her head and took Makarov's small figure in, hope filling her chest.

"Yo!" grinned Makarov, putting his hand up, as he made his way into the guild, his companions following him. And they were not just any companions.

Jura, Lyon, Sherry and The Trimens walked into the guild along with Makarov, carefully stepping over the destroyed door.

Fairy Tail wizards ran up to Makarov to greet him, all of them expressing their worries over the news about his "treason".

"I'm glad to see you're well." said Erza, walking up to Makarov.

"As if I'd let them lock me in! Pfft!" the man stuck out his tongue, making the knight sweatdrop. It amazed her how his mere presence managed to calm her troubled mind.

Makarov dropped his act and focused his eyes on Natsu, taking in his beaten up form.

"I presume you're the infamous Salamander?" asked the elder.

Natsu did not respond right away, his eyes carefully watching the newcomers. Upon hearing his name, they all looked at him in curiosity and suprise.

"Is this the man our comrades have purposelessly spilled their blood for?" asked Jura in a deep voice.

"He doesn't look that tough to me." remarked Lyon with a cocky smirk.

"You're free to try, I'd be more than glad to see this guy mop the floor with you." retorted Gray, irritating his previous comrade.

"Do not compare me to you, Gray. And stay away, I don't want you to rub off your failure on me."

"What did you say?"

"Enough!" threw in Erza, silencing them both. "Stop acting like children, this is serious!"

With this exchange going on in the background, Natsu and Makarov stared at each other in silence.

"Are you this guild's Master?" asked the Dragon Slayer finally.

"Indeed I am. Fairy Tail's 3rd Master, Makarov Dreyar." replied the elder.

"Salamander." introduced himself Natsu, sticking to his usual name.

Makarov nodded in acknowledgement and walked up to the pinkette, passing by the ruckus. This managed to silence them, as silence fell in the guild once again.

"Now then, I'd like to hear what you have to say. Depending on your words, I may have a piece fitting to your story." said Makarov, adressing Natsu once again.

The Dragon Slayer hesitated, looking at Erza. She gave him a gentle nod, encouraging him that the person he was about to speak to could be trusted. Taking her word for granted, the pinkette decided to spill the beans.

"They kidnap and enslave people, forcing them to work in horrible conditions, usually until they die. They're forcing them to build something out in the ocean, where it wouldn't cause any suspicion or something. Apparently, the construction is massive, possibly the biggest in Fiore, and can be barely seen even from the shore. They used their outposts and supply routes to gather people who would not be looked for, such as orphans, elders, loners, the sick. I've spent last 7 years crushing those routes, effectively slowing them down. The amount of people that died because of them can be counted in thousands, thought, even with my interventions."

Eyes of every person present in the hall were glued to Natsu, all of them watching him carefully.

"How come nobody noticed anything? How could they stay hidden in the shadows for so long?" asked Sherry.

"They've kept so low they were considered a myth." replied Mira. "Is that right?" she asked, directing the question to Natsu.

"Yeah. They started to make appearances only a few years ago, that's how they got their supply routes. Their activity increased by alot in recent months, though. In mere couple months, they've taken over half of Baram Alliance, taking every smaller Dark Guild under their wings, even stealing them from other guilds, such as Oraccion Seiss or Grimoire. This greatly increased their range and amount of victims." replied the Dragon Slayer, his voice getting quieter.

"They kept low for years and suddenly surfaced? It doesn't add up." frowned Lucy.

"You said it." threw in Hibiki, currently searching through his Archive. "There's not a single word about "Seven Commandments" in my archives."

"I think we know the reason behind it." said Makarov, suprising the present mages, with Jura nodding approvingly.

"The Council has been infiltrated. The Chairman's mind was taken over by one of them." he said, shocking the company.

"How is that even possible?" Lyon's eyes widened.

"I don't know." The Saint Wizard shook his head. "But it appears they have found a way to put one of them inside of the Council and cover any irregularities that came afterwards."

"That'd explain why there's such a big reward on this guy's head." said Laxus, joining the discussion, as he pointed at Natsu with his thumb. "It all makes sense now."

"This truly smells like dangerous parfum." added Ichiya, his voice lacking its usual charm.

Erza didn't listen to the discussion, instead thinking over everything she's heard. Her eyes were wide and dry, her mind in constant fight with itself. No matter how hard she tried, it all sounded too convenient, too familiar. She felt metal of her gauntlets bend under her grip, her body trembling.

"You said something about a construction." she said out loud, gaining the attention of everyone present. "What was it?"

The knight wasn't looking in his direction, instead keeping her eyes focused on the floor, as she anticipated the answer in fear. Seeing her like this, Natsu felt his eyes widen as well, as he realised he was not the only one traumatised by this name.

"R-System, other known as Tower of Heaven." he replied quietly, his voice dry.

Erza simply closed her eyes in response, a quiet breath escaping her nose. Gray and Lucy looked at each other in fear, both aware of Erza's connection to the tower. The others, however, frowned on confusion, unfamiliar with the name.

"How did you learn of this?!" asked Jura in raised voice, startling everyone.

"A member of Seven Commandments tried to hunt me down. I've defeated and interrogated him. He's the one who told me about this." replied Natsu.

"And where is this man right now?" asked Makarov with a furrowed brow.

"I killed him." replied the Dragon Slayer shortly after a while. Erza couldn't help but notice the small pinch of disguist in his voice.

Makarov's eyes narrowed sorrowly, as he looked at Grigol's blood that was spilled on the pinkette's clothes. "I see." he responded quietly.

"That's not everything he told me, though." added Salamander. "Apparently, they're planning on using a weapon of some sort. I think it's called Ethur...Eder..."

"Etherion?" finished Makarov, his eyes widening in terror.

"Yeah, that." confirmed Natsu, shaking the elder up to the core. "What's that?"

"A weapon so powerful it can destroy entire nations in one strike." explained Jura, his scared eyes meeting Makarov's. "R-System and Etherion?! We must hurry, Makarov-dono!"

"Agreed." nodded the elder, facing his kids afterwards. "This is a serious matter. We must do everything in our power to stop them. I know this is sudden, but there's no time to waste. If they go through with whatever it is they're planning, there may be no future for us. We'll split into two teams. Me, Elfman, Lisanna, Warren, and Lamia Scale will head towards the Council and stop Etherion's launch. As for the Tower..."

Makarov quickly shot a look at his kids. "Erza, Mira, Gajeel, Gray, Wendy, Lucy, Laxus, Juvia. You will accompany Salamander and defeat those Commandments. If they really want to use Etherion, not only Magnolia, but Fiore itself is in danger. Once again, we form an Alliance to put a stop to evil's plans! Give it all you've got, you brats!"

The mentioned wizards nodded their heads and loudly expressed their approval, some of them more scared than others. Erza, on the other hand, remained silent and kept staring at her hands. She felt someone gently put a hand on her shoulder, only to see Mirajane's white hair with the corner of her eye.

"Relax. You're not going back there as a slave, but as a Fairy Tail wizard, filled with sense of duty. This time, you'll be the one bailing the others out, not the other way around. Instead of feeling down, turn this fear into anger and kick their asses. Let yourself loose on that damn place and cut your binds that tie you to it." she grinned, putting up her fist against Erza's chin.

The redhead couldn't help but smile at her rivals words, her hands finally relaxing. Maybe it was because of who said those words, but she felt a sudden, unusual wave of courage heating her previously terrified mind.

"It's unusual for you to encourage me." she said with a gentle smile.

"Don't get used to it." smirked Mira in response, before walking away. The knight shook her head, still smiling. She wanted to thank the Demon, but knew that if she did that, she'd never hear the end of it.

"Alright everyone, let's head to Hargeon! We can still get a ship!" she exclaimed to her team.

"That won't be necessary, Erza-san." smiled Ichiya, confusing the redhead. "We've already taken care of that." he gestured her to walk out of the guild with him, which she did, along with everyone else.

"T-this is..." she muttered after walking out of the guild, carefully stepping over defeated and still unconscious Rune Knights. Before her stood a familiar giant, magical ship in the shape of a Pegasus.

"Freshly renewed Christina." said the man, pointing at the ship with his arms. "We'll take you to your destination in blink of an eye!"

"What about Etherion?" asked Erza, not convinced whether she should be the one to ride the ship. "Stopping it is much more crucial than our task."

"Do not worry about us, Erza-dono. We will reach the Council in time. Defeating the person controlling the Chairman is of upmost importance, and we have all right to believe he is currently inside of the Tower." replied Jura.

"What he said." added Makarov, opening up the door to his carriage. He stopped in the entrance and took a last look at the Tower Team. "Good luck to all of you. Get back safe."

"You too, Master/Gramps." they said in union, before turning around and getting on board of Christina.

Laxus, who was the last one to get on, stopped in the entrance and turned back, his nose sniffing the air furiously.

"What's wrong?" asked him Wendy, joining him in sniffing.

"Nothing. Just my imagination." he replied, dragging out the syllables, not entirely convinced. Giving up, he entered the ship, patting the girl on his way inside, much to her irritation.

As the ship took off, a cloaked, small figure peeked out of the bushes, placed right next to the guild. They picked out a lacrima our of their sleeve and rubbed it a few times, lighting it up.

"Heavens-sama? I have something important to report." the figure screeched in male voice.

Meanwhile, Tower of Heaven

Blunt, loud noises of metal striking something hard echoed across the floor, as Arthur made his way down the stairs. With each step he took, the bigger was the pain in his ears, the sound of constant hitting drilling into his head. After a torturous journey, he finally reached his destination, as he opened the door leading to the training room. The smell of metal, sweat and blood filled his nostrils, his gaze narrowing in sadness.

It's been hours since Jolene learned of Grigol's death, and hours since she started hitting the training mannequin. She didn't stop even for a moment, as she continuously stroke her swords into the dummy, tears and rivers of sweat running down her face. The floor was covered in broken, blunt swords, their handles red from blood that leaked from her hands, the wounds she made with constant rubbing of her skin.

"I believe that is enough, Jolene." said the man gently, silenced by the metalic sound.

The brunette ignored him, continuing to move her heavy, tired arms while she panted heavily. Suddenly, she felt her wrists being locked in place, the grip on her hands making her let go of her swords, that fell to the ground with loud thuds.

"You dare use your magic on me, Arthur?" she growled in-between her loud breaths.

"I dare to stop you from acting so recklessly" he replied, letting her go. Jolene had to take few steps forward to regain her balance, as she turned around and glare at Arthur.

"Don't get in my way." she warned him, shaking her head. "I don't care who, I'll kill anyone who's in my way!"

"That is exactly what I call being reckless." retorted the man gracefully.

"Grigol is dead." she said through her teeth, tears forming in her eyes once again. "I've know him since we were children. We've been through everything together, ever since day one. He was my little brother, and now he's gone. He was tortured to death by that little shit that I should have slaughtered when I had the chance. Do you know what he's done to him?" she asked with broken, full of hatred voice.

"No. I haven't seen the body yet." Arthur gently shook his head, his voice quiet.

"He punched a hole in stomach, and then broke his bones, one by one, all of them while he was conscious. He died after 87th one." she continued, breaking down at the end. She brought up her damaged hands and covered her mouth, sobbing into it.

The elder grit his fists and bit his lip in frustration. He was nowhere near as close to the giant as Jolene was, but the loss of his comrade still pained him. He'd gladly take it out on the Dragon Slayer if given a chance, however the circumstances did not allow for such luxury.

"I'm not telling you to forget about this." he started. "That's impossible. But don't lose the sight of what's in front of you. We're one step away from acquiring our peace. Soon, the person responsible for this tragedy will be the reason of our happiness. Grigol would not want you to act this way. You know he's always held you in high regard."

Jolene sniffed and cleaned her nose with the back of her hand. "He'd probably call me a fake and demanded I returned the real me." she muttered.

"Exactly." smiled Arthur. "Seeing how easy it was to talk you out of scraping your hands off, I can see you were aware of that yourself."

He gently took her hand by the wrist and and lead her out of the room. "Come. Let us treat those wounds. We can't have you walking around with these injuries, not with a fight this close."

Jolene blinked. "A fight?"

"I have no reason to doubt that Salamander interrogated Grigol. He's probably aware of our whereabouts, and will come to us on his own. That is why I had Dryden gather our subordinates."

Arthur felt himself pulling the woman, as Jolene stopped in her tracks. He turned around to look at her, her eyes shadowed by her bangs.

"He's coming here?" she asked, her eyes glimpsing dangerously through the brown hair.

"That is what I and Master believe." replied the man.

The woman breathed in, before resuming walking up the stairs. "I'm free to do anything to him as long as he doesn't die, right?" she asked.

"Yes, as long as he's breathing, you're free to do whatever you so desire." confirmed Arthur. "We all are."

Jolene's eyes burned with thirst for revenge, her steps feeling lighter and more energetic.

"I can't wait."

Luppi made his way up the stairs, to the highest placed chamber in the tower. Cursing the bloody stairs and his lack of stamina in his thoughts, he walked up the last step and pushed the door, entering the dark room.

"You wished to see me, Master Silva?" he asked, kneeling in front of a giant, wooden chair that resembled a throne.

"Yes, I have." replied a stoic, male voice. "You've done your job marvelously, Luppi. I'm proud of you."

The teenager's eyes glimpsed with joy, as he quickly bowed his head, grinning at his feet. "Thank you Master, I'm glad I was..."

"...is what I'd like to say." finished the Master, halting Luppi in his spot. "Your failure in capturing Salamander has been quite impactful on our group, far too impactful for my taste. Grigol's loss is something I never even anticipated, not in a hundred years. Because of your incompetence, he was forced to act on his own record and paid for it with his life."

Luppi was now sweating. "M-master...I do admit I have failed you when it comes to Salamander, but everything else is going according to our plans. As we speak, my puppet is gathering the elders for a last-minute Council meeting. We're ready to fire Etherion."

"What good is Etherion without our most important piece?" asked Silva shortly, scaring the teenager even more.

"There's still time. The Tower is finally complete. All I need is few more days, that's all I ask for."

"You've already lost half of your pawns." retorted Silva. "The stronger half, may I add. How do you plan on capturing someone with those leftovers? Am I supposed to send more of our comrades after this boy? You, perhaps?"

Drops of sweat fell on top of Luppi's hand, as he gulped loudly. "I'd stand no chance." he answered dryly.

"I'm well aware of this fact." Silva's voice echoed like a whip. Luppi closed his eyes, seemingly on terms with his fate.

"I have no more words to defend myself. Please, punish me accordingly." he muttered.

Silva's crimson eyes glimpsed in darkness. "No. Despite this failure, you are not fit to be punished. No matter how angry I am about our lack of Salamander, I cannot neglect all the good work you've done throughout the recent months, and your years spent as 7th Commandment: The Mind. Keep the elders in check, keep them busy. I will send a scouting party to retrieve our missing piece."

"That won't be necesary." threw in a new voice, belonging to the azure-haired man standing in the doorway.

"What is the meaning of this, Jellal?" asked Silva with a slight frown.

Jellal chuckled gently and made his way through the room, walking up to the throne.

"Kneel, you bastard." hissed Luppi, only to be ignored by the man.

"One of my subordinates has informed me that Salamander, along with Fairy Tail, are headed our way. They are expected to arrive in few hours from now."

Silva's teeth glimpsed in the dark, a smile forming on his face.

"Fate truly is on our side. We must put Grigol's demise aside and move forward. Mourning will come later - when this world is ruled by its righteous King, Zeref."

30 minutes later, Christina.

After some initial trouble, the team has finally took off towards their destination. Hibiki was currently steering the ship, having downloaded Natsu's knowledge of the Tower's whereabouts, which was not an easy task, due to Natsu's lack of trust in his companions. Only after Erza's intervention, did he finally settle down and allow Hibiki to get what he needed, but not without threatening him that if he touched anything else, he'd burn his hair off. Much to the knight's confusion, Mira and Lucy snickered into their hands while watching this scene, both of them leaving a mental note that they found a way to get through to the Dragon Slayer.

After this incident. Natsu walked out of the room. heading towards the bathroom. His plans were stopped, however, with Erza bringing up Wendy and offering some healing to the wounded Dragon Slayer. Although at first hesitant, he allowed Wendy to heal him and they both headed to other room, where it was less crowded.

Erza was currently standing by the window, looking out into the now dark sky.

"How're you doing?" asked Gray, walking up to stand right beside her.

"Better than I expected." she admitted truthfully. "If I were alone, I'd probably curl up into a ball and cry myself to sleep."

Gray gently snorted at this remark, however he quickly regained his composure.

"Listen, Erza..." he began. The knight took her eyes off the window and looked at him curiously. "I know that's probably not what you want to hear, but I know what it's like to deal with your past. You've been there, you saw me. I was a mess, and I would've stayed a mess if it hadn't been for you guys. I know our ways of coping with our past were different: I trained to face Deliora, you took as many dangerous jobs as you could to never have time for yourself and cut yourself off from people. It hurt, I admit it. I've always admired you and working with you was a rare learning experience. And even when you literally tried to kill me for following you, I wanted to accompany you and get stronger, so that I could beat Deliora. But now I know that wasn't the answer, it never will. We don't have to face our problems on our own, not when we have people close to us, who are willing to share that pain with us. That's why I want you to know, that me, Lucy and everyone else is here for you. You don't have to deal with this alone."

Erza listened him finish his monologue with a stoic expression. Seeing no reaction from the redhead, Gray's face turned red, as he looked away from her in embarrassment.

"You know what, forget I said that. I've always sucked at comforting people." he mumbled.

Erza smiled and shook her head. "No, Gray. You're doing a fine job." she said, reaching out for his head and smacking it into her breastplate, embracing him in her famous hug. "Thank you."

The man smiled lightly, despite having his head squeezed by the knight's iron grip. "You're welcome."

Erza let him go and looked around the main room in search of Natsu and Wendy. Just when she was about to go look for them, she spotted Wendy's small figure walking through the door, alone.

"Where's Natsu?" she asked the small Dragon Slayer.

"He said he wanted to stay for a while longer." she replied.

"I see. So, what do you think of him? Were you scared?" asked the knight, genuinely curious of her opinion.

"N-not really." muttered Wendy. "We sat in silence when I was healing him. He stood up when I was done and moved around, thanking me for healing him. I think he was slightly impressed. He then asked me to leave him alone."

"Oh." was all that came out of Erza's mouth. "Well, I'm sure when all of this is over, you'll get a chance to talk properly. You've got alot of things to ask him about, don't you?"

Wendy's face beamed upon hearing these words. "You think so?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes, I'm certain of it." confirmed the knight, tousling Wendy's hair. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

Erza squeezed through the door and walked out of the room, walking out to the corridor. Finding the room he was in was not hard, considering only one of them was lightened up on the inside. She started to make her way to the room, weird noises growing in her ears with each step. Frowning, she finally reached the room and stood in the doorway, taking a look inside.

Her eyes registered Natsu, who was buckled over a barrel, as he continuously threw up inhuman amounts of vomit. He was half-naked, his body cleaned off any blood, his dirty clothes currently submerged in water, dried blood coming off due to the liquid. His injuries were almost gone, with a barely noticeable pink outline where his giant bruise used to be, his cuts and fractures closed and patched up.

Erza quickly ran up to him and put her hand on his back, soothingly massaging his well toned muscles.

"Is it your motion sickness?" she asked him in-between his attacks.

"How do you know I have it?" he asked, before putting his head in the barrel once again.

"Gajeel and Laxus have it as well. It probably applies to all Dragon Slayers." she replied with a small smile on her face. "Then again, this ship does not make them sick. Are you okay?"

Natsu took a deep breath and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before responding.

"Yeah, don't worry. I just remembered what I did few hours ago, no biggie."

The knight's eyes narrowed in sadness, as she recalled what he looked like not so long ago. "What the hell happened there?" she asked him.

He looked at her with his tired eyes, his trust issues getting in the way once again.

"One of them found me last night, one I had more history with. We fought. I struggled to find out his weakness, but once I did, I nailed him pretty hard. After that, I lost control. I broke his arm and tortured him, asking for information which he gave me in-between his screams. I broke his bones, one by one, at the same time making sure he didn't pass out. At that time, I felt great. I felt superior, righteous, powerful. But once his screams died down and all I was left with was his blood sticking to my hands, my clothes, my scarf, it all disappeared. It's been replaced by disguist, fear and shock. I thought I was right, I thought I was ready for this. But that's all bullshit. Killing him gave me nothing, no feeling of satisfaction. I just feel more empty than ever. I feel disguisted with myself." he confessed, his fists clenched.

Erza just listened in silence. It felt like listening to herself. What he just described was the way she's been feeling for years. It wasn't the strength or scale of this confession that shocked her this much - it was its accuracy. And just when she thought they couldn't get any more similar, her eyes fell onto his wrists, as they widened in pure shock.

"Natsu..." she began, her voice quiet and strained. "What's that on your hands?"

The Dragon Slayer raised his head to meet her brown eyes, which were locked on his hands. He looked down in search of her discovery, but he didn't have to look for long.

"Oh, those?" he asked, raising his hands. Around both of his wrists ran pink, round and wide scars, their skin wrinkled and deformed, both of them almost identical to Erza's. He smiled sorrowly at the sight, rotating his arm in front of his face to get a better look. "I think we both know what these are from."

"It all makes sense now." she whispered in response, more to herself than Natsu. All pieces of the puzzle she had to deal with for the past 8 days now formed themselves into one.

Hearing her words, Natsu decided to ignore them, knowing they weren't aimed at him. He put his arm down and reached out to the bowl where his clothes were, his right hand locking itself on his scarf, as he pulled it out of the water. "Wanna hear about it?" he asked her so casually he shocked her even more.

"Why would you want to speak of this?" she asked him. "Especially to me, a stranger?"

"Because you can relate, and you wouldn't use it against me." he shrugged, making her jaw drop to the floor. One time, he acted like a startled animal, the other like a far too trusty kid. Just what was going on with this man?

"I'm gonna say it even if you don't want to listen." he said, squeezing the water out of his wet scarf.

"But...why? For what reason?" asked Erza, genuinely confused.

Natsu shook his scarf a couple times, getting rid of any remaining water in the fabric. "As a reminder." he replied, his voice losing its carefreeness. "Every time I start doubting myself, I sit down and relive everything that happened to me. It keeps me going, makes me remember why exactly I'm doing what I'm doing."

"That's the complete opposite of me." thought Erza with a sad smirk. "Very well. I will listen to your story."

"You don't have to force yourself, you know." he said, wrapping the scarf around his neck,

"I'm not." she ensured him.

"Okay." he replied, sitting down on the floor.

"It all began on July 7th, x777..."

To be continued in Chapter 8: Unfinished Business


	8. Unfinished Business

Somewhere in Fiore, X777

"It all began on July 7th, X777. My dad, Igneel, suddenly disappeared. I was sleeping on his leg the night before, and when I woke up, he was nowhere to be found. At first, I thought he flied off in search of some food, but after few hours, I started to look for him. This kept on for days."

For the probably tenth time this day, a pack of birds flied out off a treetop, startled by the same screams that kept on echoing through the forest for days now.

"Igneel, where are you?!" called a young, male voice. It was hoarse and tired, having lost its previous unquestionable energy and loudness.

A young boy, no older than 11 ran through the forest, calling out to his father in pure desperation. His pink hair was messy, even messier than usual, with dry mud and leaves entangled in its locks: he fell so many times, he lost count. His pants were ripped and dirty, barely hanging onto his waist. His naked torso was dusty and scratched, mostly from his falls. The only clean part of his appearance was his white, scaly scarf, miraclously free of any germs and somewhat fresh.

For the umpteenth time this day, his belly grumbled painfully, his stomach sucking itself in from hunger. Since there was no fire around for him to eat, and the animals were both too fast and far to catch, he had to resort to some weird looking berries, which didn't really do any good. The constant feeling of hunger and the lack of sleep crippled his mobility quite heavily, rendering his search much less effective than it could have been.

"Where are you?" whimpered Natsu to himself, tears starting to form in his eyes. He couldn't understand why Igneel left him all alone without saying a word. Did he do something wrong? Was he too much of a trouble to the dragon? His self-blame caused the tears to pour out and flow down his face, as he sobbed quietly.

"What did I tell you about crying?"

Natsu's eyes shot wide open, as he remembered one of his dad's many lectures. If there was one thing Igneel truly disliked about the boy, it was his constant crying and whining.

"You're a man, Natsu. Men do not shed tears this easily! Grab a grip of yourself and face your problems with your chest puffed out!"

Natsu sniffed and wiped his eyes. "I don't have time to cry. I have to find him!" he stated firmly and took a deep breath.

Suddenly, his sensitive ears picked up a suspicious sound coming from nearby bushes. He quickly turned his head in the noise's direction, his body tensing up.

"Could it be...?" he asked himself hopefully and sprung towards the noise. "Igneel!" yelled the boy, emerging from the thick bushes. He found himself on a small plain, with two deer calmly eating grass right in the middle of it.

"Finally! Food!" screamed his brain. Feeling saliva forming in his mouth, Natsu licked his lips and lowered himself, moving to his left, making sure his steps were as muffled as possible. However, after couple steps he stopped in his tracks, rethinking the situation.

"But they look so cute... Can I really kill them? I've never done this before..." Natsu doubted both himself and his idea. He never had to worry about food, since Igneel always took care of meat on his own, saying that it'd be more effective and less time consuming. He did teach Natsu how to distinguish certain berries from others, which mushrooms to eat and which trees gave good fruit, but this forest had none of that. Since food has always been right under his nose, Natsu never gave where the meat came from a second thought. It always seemed so easy: find an animal, hit it, eat it. But now, seeing the animals up close, the seemingly easy task has become much harder.

His train of thoughts was interrupted by his stomach, which was now convincingly trying to eat itself. Natsu grimaced from the unpleasant feeling and clutched his naked belly with his hand. "I gotta do it." he said in his thoughts and shook his head, trying to clear his doubts.

The deer haven't noticed the boy, as the continued their meal. Feeling sweat forming on his forehead, Natsu carefully put his feet down, making slow but sure steps. He was now mere few meters away from his range, where he could use his magic to catch one of them and fill his belly up.

"Just a little closer..." he muttered, now very close to the animals.

Just when he was about to make his last step, a loud thud echoed throughout the forest, startling the animals. They both raised their heads, then another one hit, making them shook their ears and run off, leaving Natsu behind.

"No, come back!" he yelled after them, reaching out to their figures as they ran through the leaves, disappearing from his sight. "Damn it!" cussed Natsu and kicked the ground in frustration, a small spark of flames coming out of the kicked place. "What is making that noise, anyway?!" he asked no one in particular, puffing his cheeks in frustration.

Natsu didn't get to pout for too long, though, as the thuds were now becoming louder, with their culprit slowly making their way towards the young Dragon Slayer. The leaves split and something terrifying came out, making Natsu open his mouth wide in shock.

A giant, monkey-looking monster came out of the bushes, sniffing the air. He was at least 3 meters tall, with green fur covering majority of his giant body, mostly his long, well muscled arms and legs. His torso, face and hands were purple, his eyes pure white and rid of pupils. The Vulcan noticed Natsu and stared him down with his eyes, his teeth slowly baring themselves.

"W-what the hell is that?!" asked terrified Natsu, making slow steps back.

The monster grinned menacingly and started to make his way towards the Dragon Slayer, who was now trembling. "Get away!" he screamed, waving his tiny, covered in flames fists, hoping to scare the monster off. But that was not the case, as the Vulcan picked up its pace, continuously grinning.

"You're asking for it!" screamed Natsu, as he kicked the ground and rushed the monster, pulling his arm back.

FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!

Natsu's fist made contact with the Vulcan's abdomen, his fire dealing absolutely no damage to the monster. Not giving up, Natsu pulled back his other arm and hit again, again and again, desperately trying to hurt the beast.

Vulcan snickered at the boy's attempts and slapped him with his right arm, making him roll on the ground. Natsu yelped in pain, feeling cold ground, sticks and stones scrape his naked torso and arms, the place he was struck in numb and pulsating. After few meters, Natsu stopped and tried to get up, which came with great difficulty. The monster simply stood in his spot and roared into the sky, pounding his chest with his fists.

Natsu clutched his aching left arm and decided to run away. He mustered all the remaining strength he had and ran through the bushes, the leaves scratching his already hurt skin. The loud, heavy steps that shook the ground indicated that he was being chased, which further fueled his legs.

"What the hell is his problem?!" he yelled in confusion and fear, with the Vulcan slowly but surely closing in.

Just when he thought he'd get caught, Natsu crossed yet another set of bushes and came out right above the edge of a cliff. Before he could register what was going on, he was rolling down the cliff like a ball, guarding his head with his put up arms. Diziness taking over his mind, eventually he stopped thinking, letting himself roll down God knows where. Finally, after what felt like eternity, Natsu's back came in contact with solid, even ground with a loud thud, knocking some air out of his lungs. Exausted, hungry and achy, he stared at the orange sky with his half-closed eyes.

"Dad..." was all he managed to muster, before falling into unconsciousness.

"After wandering around for so long, and getting my ass kicked by that Vulcan, I fell off a cliff and lost consciousness. While I was lying there, I thought it was the end for me. Until I woke up."

Natsu came down to earth, his eyes slightly twitching as he awoke. The so familiar feeling of cold he was slowly starting to get used to was now replaced by warmness, warmness he hasn't felt in days. His back was lying on something warm, something completely different from cold, muddy and full of stones soil. His sensitive nose picked up a smell that nearly spun his head around, immediately alarming his empty stomach, while his ears were now picking up the sound of running water.. Natsu slowly opened his eyes, his vision initially blurry and his eyes stinging. He narrowed them and blinked a couple times to get rid of the unpleasant feeling, before focusing them on a wooden ceiling that was hanged above his head.

Confused, Natsu sat up in his spot. only to feel a blanket slide off his chest. His eyes widened at the sight of a bed he was currently in, more from shock that he was actually sleeping in one, rather than the fact he switched locations during his sleep.

"Oh, you're awake? Sooner than I expected." said a female, joyful voice.

Natsu immediately jumped to his feet, as he was currently standing on the bed, his fists raised in preparation for combat. He looked around the room and sniffed the air around in search of its owner. He found her pretty soon, deducting that she was right behind the door that lead out of the room.

"Hey, hey, calm down. No one's going to hurt you." this time the voice laughed.

"H-how can you see me?!" asked confused boy, putting his fists down.

"I have a mirror in here, see?" asked the woman, putting her hand in the doorway, as she pointed at a round, small mirror hanged right on the cupboard that was in front of it. "That's how."

The sound of running water came to a stop, followed by a clank. "I'm coming in." she called, before doing so.

A young woman walked through the door, not older than late teens. She was of average height and quite gifted curves, with a joyful face and big, kind blue eyes. Her light red hair reached her shoulders, with her bangs completely covering her left eye. She was wearing a dress, with a blue apron tied on her waist. Overall, she looked like a kind, playful girl.

"Slept well?" she asked him with a smile, disturbing the Dragon Slayer a little.

"Who are you? Where am I?" he asked, slightly less afraid of her than previously.

"You don't have to be so afraid, it's not like I'm going to hurt you." she laughed and waved her hand in front of her face. "...yet." she added under her nose, which didn't go unnoticed by Natsu.

"What do you mean, "yet"?!" he yelled, making the woman laugh once again.

"Sorry, sorry! I was just trying to loosen you up. You looked really tense, so I thought you could use some help." she reassured him in-between her laugh.

Natsu blushed in embarrassment, only amusing the girl even further. "Whatever! Who the hell are ya? Where am I?" he asked in a demanding voice.

The woman stopped laughing and quickly put her finger in front of Natsu's eyes, her previously playful expression becoming stern all of a sudden.

"First of all, it's common courtesy to introduce yourself first, before asking for someone's name, and when you do so, you don't say "who the hell are you". Second, when you're asking someone a question, you speak in a polite tone, not the one you used just now." she scolded him. "Let's try that again."

She crossed her arms on her chest and looked at Natsu with her only visible eye, staring him down with anticipation.

"W-well..." began the Dragon Slayer, suddenly slightly scared of the lady. "My name's Natsu...who are you?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow, unsure whether he did a good job.

The woman nodded eagerly in response. "Not bad, but we'll have to work on that.". Her face relaxed, a smile once again finding its way onto her lips. "My name's Marie. pleased to meet you, Natsu."

Natsu sighed lightly in relief. "Where am I?" he asked.

"In my house. I found you last evening when I was going back from the forest, you looked awful. I took you in and patched you up. How did you even end up like that? Where are your parents?" she asked with a frown.

"I was looking for my dad. He disappeared few days ago, so I started to search for him. I couldn't find any food, I was hungry, I lost my shirt and then I found that stupid monkey and tried to fight him, but he was too strong, so I had to run, and then I fell down the cliff and that's the last thing I remember." Natsu said truthfully, holding his chin with his hand to help him remember the last couple of days."

"Hold on one second." threw in Marie, holding her hand on front of her face. "A monkey? You couldn't be possibly talking about a Vulcan? A big, green monkey?"

"Yeah, that one." nodded Natsu, shocking the redhead. "You know him?"

Marie's smile faded away, as her face grew pale. "You fought it?" she asked, finding it difficult to believe his words.

"Yeah. Don't believe me?" he asked with a frown, his pride hurt.

"Grown up men are like children to them, so sorry for not believing you right off the bat." she answered, laughing nervously. "Never mind that, you said you were looking for your dad. Do you remember where you saw him the last time? Maybe we could search for him together."

"Really?!" Natsu jumped up to the girl and grabbed her hand, suprising her a little.

"Of course." she smiled in return. "Can you tell me what he looks like?"

"Sure. He's big, red and has a scar on his right eye."

Marie blinked a few times. "Big? Red? Are you sure you're describing your dad?"

"Yep." nodded Natsu, confusing the girl even further.

"I mean no disrespect, but I've never heard of red humans, so sorry for being so suprised." sweatdropped Marie and scratched her cheek with her finger.

"Igneel's not a human." Natsu shook his head. "He's a dragon."

Marie smiled at Natsu and blinked a couple times, possibly too fast than she should. "Excuse me?" she asked in a quiet, weird sounding voice.

"Igneel's a dragon." repeated Natsu, this time with a frown.

She was about to say something, when she noticed the look in Natsu's eyes. She's been around children for way too long to be fooled by their little lies and stories. But his eyes were different, there was not even a trace of a lie, or imagination behind them. Only pure determination and fire.

"Okay." she sighed, her smile returning to its place. "We'll look for your dad."

Natsu's face beamed, as he jumped out of bed. "Neat! Let's go!" he yelled, before storming towards the exit. He opened it and was blinded, as the morning sun hit his face with all its strength. Squinting, Natsu put up his hand to block the flaming orb and readjusted his eyes, as he looked around.

He was surrounded by few houses, all of them nearly identical to the one he just walked out from. In-between the buildings, there were basic things, such as ropes full of laundry tied to each house, small fields that were currently being tended to by some adults, and lots of children running around, playing and screaming. The village was placed right outside of the forest, the sound of singing birds and woodpeckers reaching Natsu's enhanced ears. Overall, he found it pretty, but something didn't feel quite right.

"Gezz, don't run out like that. Take a look at yourself, from time to time." sighed Marie and forcefully pulled a shirt down Natsu's head. He didn't even protest, instead, he was focused on what was in front of him.

"What is this place?" he asked in a muffled voice, his new shirt stuck on his scarf.

Marie took her eyes off Natsu and looked around the village, her smile deepening even further at the sight. "Sunspear Village. A pretty bizarre name, for a bizarre village."

The boy looked at her with a raised eyebrow, not convinced by the name. "Hey, don't look at me, I'm not the one who named it." she defended herself, finally winning her fight with Natsu's scarf. "But still, I love this place. I was born here, and so was everyone else."

Natsu hummed quietly in responce and looked at his new shirt. It was plain blue, but since he's never wore blue color before, he found it pretty weird. He looked at himself from couple different angless, as if expecting to find something new and interesting.

"And who might this be?" asked a new, unfamiliar voice that belonged to an elderly man who was currently walking up to the pair.

"Chief!" exclaimed Marie, running up to the elder and offering him her arm.

"How many times have I told you I don't need your help?" he asked irritated, not even fighting the woman's iron grip under his arm.

"And how many times did you fall on your face while walking up these stairs?" she asked in return, receiving quiet grumbling in response.

Marie helped the Chief walk up the stairs, with Natsu waiting on top of them. The Chief was an old man, grey hair sticking out of his hat and grey beard covering majority of his face. He was using a cane to support himself, his back slightly bent over, most likely due to age. He was looking at Natsu with kind, curious eyes.

"So, who is this young scoundrel you've brought to our cozy village?" he asked, directing the question more to Natsu, than Marie.

"I'm Natsu, who are you?" replied the Dragon Slayer.

"I am this village's Chief, Tom. Now, tell me, what is a young man such as yourself doing so far all on his own?" he asked in a kind, old voice.

Before Natsu could open his mouth, Marie interrupted him. "He's looking for his dad." she said, looking at Natsu with eyes that were hoping he picked up the hint. Mentioning dragons to strangers was not the wisest thing to do.

"Well then, I wish you good luck." said Chief. "You're free to stay while you continue your search. Normally, we don't take strangers in, but your situation appears to be pretty dire. Just make sure to not cause any trouble to the villagers, and we'll be fine. Understood?" he asked with a mocked note of intimidation in his voice.

"Yep! Thanks, gramps!" grinned Natsu, completely not phased by the elder's try, making him sigh quietly. "There's something I wanted to ask you, though..." he added, looking around the place. "Where are the adults? Why is there so many children?"

Both the Chief and Marie's faces froze at these questions, before turning into sad frowns. Natsu blinked in confusion at their reaction. "Did I say something weird?"

"They were taken by a sickness." replied Marie with a sad smile. "It happened few years ago. One of our water supplies was contaminated. We lost over half of inhabitants to fever, most of them leaving these children alone. Now, I take care of them. That's why I took you with me." she said, locking her eyes with Natsu's. "You reminded me of them."

"Oh." Natsu shifted his eyes to his feet. "Sorry."

"Don't be. You have every right to be curious. We try not to let it get to us. Their loss still pains us to this day, but we can't afford to stop because of that. We have to keep going, because that's what they'd want us to do." assured him Marie, tousling his hair with her hand. "Those children need me. Need us. We have to be strong for them, because no one else will. They're pretty strong on their own, you're about to find out. But in the end, they're still children."

Natsu listened to her with his brow slightly furrowed. "I don't really get it, but if they're strong, then that's fine." he smiled, scratching the back of his head.

"Why don't you go and play with the children?" asked Chief, directing the question to Natsu. "They really wanted to meet you when Marie brought you in."

"I can't. I have to find Igneel." Natsu shook his head, making the elder laugh.

"I'm sure they'd be more than willing to help you. Just make sure you remember your way back home."

"In that case, fine."

Natsu quickly jumped off the terrace and ran up to the children, calling out to them and waving his hand in the air.

"He's not going to find him, isn't he?" asked Marie with a sad frown.

"No." the elder replied shortly. "We are disconnected from the world, it's a miracle you even found him. Whoever it is that lost this boy, their reunion will not happen very soon. If it happens at all."

Marie watched Natsu talk to the children, as he passionately talked about something. Judging by their reaction, he must have revealed the indentity of his father, because they started to laugh at him, which made him angry in return.

"For the first time in years, I hope you're wrong." she whispered.

"After being saved by Marie, I stayed in the village. They were very friendly and helpful, keeping their disbelief of Igneel being a dragon to a minimum. They taught me some useful things, such as how to tend a garden, treat minor injuries and hunt. Marie was the one who taught me majority of those things. She was like a big sister to every single kid in the village, and soon after, I started calling her like that as well. During the day, I was helping out the adults, and during afternoons, I searched for Igneel. At first, I was alone, but after some time, I had help. I've made friends with some of the kids, especially a pair of siblings, Theo and Faye. They were really fascinated with my magic, and in exchange of me showing them my flames, they accompanied me on my walks."

"Natsu, don't you think it's time to go back? It's getting dark, Big Sister will get mad!" whined Faye. She was 10 years old. She had dark-blonde hair that reached her shoulder blades and big, green eyes.

"If it gets dark, I'll light our way with my fire, so no worries!" replied Natsu with his trademark grin.

"That's not the problem, lizardboy." threw in Theo, Faye's brother. He was an older version of his sister, with the same hair and eye color as her. He was as old as Natsu, and the oldest kid in the village. "It's not the dark that's scary, it's what comes with it, both here and back home. I'd rather not get attacked by a bear, nor have my head smacked by Big Sis."

"You're both no fun." pouted Natsu, but obediently turned back around. He had to admit, they were pretty far from the village. "Well then, let's go home. Sis's probably waiting for us."

"This guy..." sighed Theo, but followed the Dragon Slayer in suit. "That reminds me, tomorrow Sis promised to take us swimming to that pond we've found few days ago. If we're late, she'll probably make us stay home."

"Seriously?! Why didn't you tell me earlier!" shouted Natsu in Theo's face, making the boy squint.

"Don't yell in my face! Geez..." he groaned, wiping his face off with his sleeve. "It's your fault we're this late, so don't put this on me."

"You're the ones who wanted to help me search, remember? I said I'd be fine on my own, but you just followed me." retorted Natsu with a slight pinch of irritation in his voice.

"We got pretty excited when you told us your dad's a dragon, but now, I don't really buy it. I mean, it's hard not to find a giant dragon in this forest and we've pretty much searched all over it by now."

"But he is!" whined Natsu. "He's the one who taught me magic!"

"So you say, but gramps told us that magic can be taught by people as well. You have no proof your dad's a dragon!" smirked Theo. He liked to tease the Dragon Slayer when he was being irresponsible.

"Whatever!" pouted Natsu and turned back from the boy. "Faye believes me! Right, Faye?"

"Um..." muttered Faye, looking at her brother, who was currently quietly shaking his head with a mischevious smile, telling her to say no. "I'd really like to see one." she finished, disappointing her bother.

"Ha! In your face, Theo!" exclaimed Natsu triumphally, his fist raised in the air in victory.

"Tch." Theo clicked his tongue and shifted his disappointed eyes off his sister. "Traitor."

"W-what did I do?" asked the girl, genuinely concerned. She ran up to her brother, only to trip on a tree root and fall to the ground.

"Ow!" she yelped, trying to get up.

"Faye!" yelled Theo and ran up to his sister. "Are you okay?" he asked, helping her stand up. He grabbed her arm and gently lifted her off the ground, supporting her weight with his body.

"My foot hurts." she winced, carefully setting her foot down on the soil.

"Come on, let's take a look on it. Natsu, can you lend me your flames?"

"Sure." replied Natsu and picked up a stick.

Theo sat his sister down on a nearby log and carefully lifted her leg up. He took her shoe and sock off and laid them to the side. Natsu gently breathed on his stick and lit it up. He then carefully bring it closer to the siblings, lighting her foot up.

"Thankfully, nothing's broken or twisted..." muttered Theo as he examined his sister's foot. "But it's gonna leave a bruise. Guess I'll have to carry you back." he sighed, making the girl blush.

"I'll be fine, you don't have to..." she mumbled embarrassed, looking to the side.

"Yes, I do. It's big brother's duty to protect his little sister!" he exclaimed, hitting his puffed out chest with his fist.

"You wouldn't be protecting me from anything by carrying me, you know..." muttered Faye.

"Of course I would! If I carry you, then nothing will be able to touch you, and you won't trip again. I will protect you from anything, because this is my duty as your brother!" Theo continued his speech, embarrassing his sister even further.

"Hey, can I try something?" asked Natsu, knocking the boy out of his role.

"Try what?" he asked with a light frown, not really fond of the idea. Natsu's "something" usually ended up with something being destroyed.

"Just hold this."

Natsu passed his flaming stick on to Theo, who was still very skeptical, and kneeled in front of Faye. He grabbed her hurt foot with his hand, making the girl grimace in pain.

"Ah, sorry." he said. "Faye, do you trust me?" he asked her.

Faye looked at her brother, who simply shrugged, and shifted her eyes back to Natsu. Slowly, but surely, she nodded.

Natsu replied with a nod of his own and concentrated his magic in his palms and covered Faye's foot with them, suprising the girl. "It's alright, I won't hurt you." he assured her. The girl nodded and relaxed, allowing Natsu to carry out his task.

"What are you doing?" asked Theo with a frown, clearly not fond of what was happening to his sister.

The pinkette ignored him and continued to hover his hands over Faye's foot. After a short while, the girl felt pleasant warmness on her skin that soothed the pain, the heat doing its wonder on the hurt area. It didn't even take two minutes to almost completely take the pain away.

"There. Try to stand up." smiled Natsu, wiping sweat off his forehead. He's always been good with destroying things, so doing stuff that required self-control was something new and tiresome for him.

The girl slowly and carefully moved her foot around, before setting it down on the ground. She grabbed Natsu's shoulder and used him to support herself, pushing him down and standing up to her feet. She gently took her foot off and put it back down a couple times, before smiling in joy. "It barely hurts! What did you do?"

"Sis told me that when something hurts, warming it up makes it feel better." grinned Natsu. "I tried it on myself and it helped, but doing it on someone else is much different. You're actually the first one!"

"So you just used my sister as a guennie pig?" asked Theo, his voice sending shivers down Natsu's spine.

"No!" he tried to defend himself from the angry brother. "I just wanted to help her, that's all!"

"Stop it, big brother!" Faye scolded her brother. "No fighting, or I'll tell Big Sister!"

Natsu laughed at his friend's terified face.

"As if you're in any position to laugh. It's already dark! Sis is gonna kick your ass for this!" yelled Theo, shutting the Dragon Slayer down, who was now sweating. Marie was a very kind and gentle woman, but when she was angry, it was almost as if something was possessing her. Her wrath was the one thing every child and adult in the village has feared.

"But Faye's right... thanks, Natsu. I owe you one." mumbled blushing Theo.

Natsu simply grinned at his red face. "No biggie!"

Despite the successful procedure, Theo refused to let Faye walk back home on her own, and after a much too long battle, the trio finally took off, with embarrassed Faye sprawled all over Theo's back. Their journey went on in silence, since it was pretty dark. Talking could have alarmed animals that were definitely lurking around. They used Natsu's flaming hand as a torch, which was placed inside of a jar, to prevent any leaves or branches from catching fire. Despite being far from home, all three children knew their way around the forest. Even Natsu, who lived here for only few months, knew majority of the forest like his own pocket. Deep in his heart, he knew that there was no way Igneel could still be in this forest, but a part of him refused to give up on the search. His friends sensed it as well, but didn't say anything for his sake. For that, he was extremely grateful.

After 40 minutes of walking, the trio crossed a set of bushes and found themselves standing in front of a giant, familiar boulder. They used it as one of their usual spots to play, meet, or store every interesting thing they've found while skirmishing in-between the trees. It was also very close to the village, only 5 minutes away by foot.

"Wanna switch?" Natsu asked Theo, who was starting to get closer to the ground with each minute. Carrying his sister for so long took its toll on his young back.

"No way in hell. I'm not even tired." replied Theo in a strained voice, clearly forcing himself to remain on his feet.

Faye simply sighed at his words. "I told you I'm fine. Let me go, I'll walk on my own."

"No! I'll get you home safely, just watch!" the boy was too stubborn to give up, as he resumed to walk, his steps slow and heavy.

"I'm afraid if you continue to carry me like that, we won't get home at all."

Natsu simply laughed, as the siblings continued to bicker. Suddenly, his laughter died down in his throat, his eyes narrowing dangerously. His nose sniffed the air after being hit by an unpleasant smell. He quickly rotated his head, searching for its source. It smelled of burned wood, grass and iron. But not the kind of iron that was used by Marie when she prepared meals for the villagers, Natsu knew this smell. It was the smell he was so used to picking up when he used to come back from training back to his and Igneel's cave. It was the smell of blood.

"Theo, Faye, stay here." he commanded them and lit up a couple of sticks, before putting them in the jar. He put it on the ground for the siblings to use and started to run in the village's direction.

"Wait- What's wrong, Natsu?!" Theo yelled after him, utterly confused.

"Something's happening at the village! Hide!" was all they received in response, before the pinkette disappeared behind the bushes.

Natsu ran through the forest, cold, night air filling up his lungs and nose. With each step he could, the smell was getting gradually stronger. Being this close to the village, he could now hear what was happening out there: screams, laughter and crying of children.

The young Dragon Slayer clenched his teeth so hard he cracked one of them, its piece shooting out of his mouth. Panic, anger, confusion and fear started to form in his chest, leaving him with unbearable weight that effectively slowed him down. Blur started to form in the corner of his eyes, his mind taking a trip somewhere else. For a moment, he felt like he was watching what was in front of him through someone else's eyes.

He jumped over the small river and found himself in front of the village's trademark chain of trees.

"Behind those trees, there's the village. When I cross them, everything will be fine. This smell and voices are not real, everything will be fine. Please!" he desperately pleaded in his thoughts, his feet mere two meters away from the village.

Speeding up, Natsu shot out of the forest, his feet making contact with the village's ground. He shifted his head up and felt his eyes widen in terror, air leaving his lungs.

The village was burning. Every single house was taken by the purging fire, some of them already collapsing. The fields, gardens and trees raised by the villagers were now history, stomped, burned and stained with blood. The ground was filled with bodies of dead adults, tied up children and blood stains.

Natsu watched as a young, brown-haired girl, not older than Marie, put both of her swords through Chief's wife's stomach, lifting her now limp body up in the air and licking her lips sadistically. Her long hair that reached to her lower back flown in the cold wind, giving her a sinister look. He watched a small, azure-haired boy torture a man with his magic, as he shot green beams into his limbs, watching him scream in pain in amusement. He watched as an older man with graying hair, clad in a black suit, held a little girl under his boot and tied her hands behind her back, as she cried for her mommy, who was currently being held by the neck by a blonde-haired man. In one, swift motion, he broke it and threw the woman aside like a doll, listening to her daughter's screams with a small frown of irritation on his face.

Natsu simply stood there and took the picture in, not understanding why it was happening. The entire village was now gone. Everything, and everyone was either destroyed or killed. In the flames, he noticed the Chief, who was staggering towards a tall, silver-haired man, who was currently watching the flaming buildings with sheer fascination.

"Please, stop this madness! We mean you no harm! Take me, but don't harm the children! Please!" he begged, his shaky, old hands grasping the man's coat.

"You!" called the brunette with swords, outraged. "How dare you touch Master Silva with those dirty hands?!" she yelled, running towards both men.

"Halt, Jolene." commanded the man, making the girl stop in her tracks. She sheathed her swords and bowed.

"Forgive me." she said, before turning around and walking in different direction.

The silver-haired man simply looked at the Chief, who was staring at him with furious, teary eyes, before touching his forehead with the index and middle fingers of his right hand.

"You're of no use to me." he said, as the elder's upper body exploded into nothingness, leaving only his lower body, which fell to its knees.

At this sight, Natsu fell onto his knees, tears streaming down his face. This wasn't happening...it couldn't...

"Natsu!" called a voice behind him, shaking him out of his trance.

"Theo, don't come here! Get away!" yelled Natsu, his teary, terrified gaze meeting the siblings' green eyes.

Theo opened his mouth, about to protest, when he noticed the village. His eyes widened in shock and pure horror took over his face, as he started to tremble.

"W-what is this?" he asked quietly. Faye simply watched, the fire reflected in her teary eyes. She covered her mouth with her hand: she spotted Chief's remains.

"We have to get away from here, we're not safe here." said Theo through his gritted teeth. His fear was slowly being replaced by pure anger.

"Bis Sister!" called out Faye and reached out in the village's direction. Both Natsu and Theo turned around at those words.

They noticed a big, muscular man with green hair, who was currently dragging Marie on the ground by her leg. Her head was bleeding, her light-red hair now taking the color of scarlet. She was followed by the children, who desperately tried to free her from the man's iron grip.

"Grigol, what the hell is this supposed to be?" asked the swordswoman.

"I caught them trying to run away. This whore was trying to hide them in a tree trunk. A tree trunk! She must think of us as fools!" exclaimed the man in anger. He stopped walking asnd threw Marie onto the ground, making her lie before him, as she coughed up from getting the wind knocked out of her. "You thought you could make a fool out of Seven Commandments, you bitch?!" the man yelled and brought his leg up, before smashing it into the woman's right arm, breaking it like a twig.

Marie's screams echoed throughout the forest, remains of her bones piercing her skin and blouse. The man grinned sadistically, as he listened to her pain in delight.

"Oh, music to my ears. You're going to sing for me for a while, my lady." he moaned, before lifting his leg once again.

"Stop it!"

He was stopped by a sudden yell coming from the forest. He quickly turned his head around in its direction, before raising his eyebrows mockingly.

Natsu dashed out of his hiding at full speed, his teeth bared and fists clenched. His eyes expressed pure fury, his pupils now barely visible.

"You bastard!" he yelled and pulled back his arm, fire erupting from his fist.

FIRE DRAGON'S-

His attack was interrupted by a powerful strike to his abdomen. The swordswoman quickly closed the distance between him and the green-haired man and struck him with the handle of her swords. Natsu felt air leaving his body, as big amounts of spit found their way through his now open mouth. He fell to the ground and clutched his aching stomach, struggling to breathe.

"Did this kid just use magic?" asked the man.

"Indeed. And not any ordinary magic, he's using Dragon Slayer Magic." confirmed the older man in a suit.

"What- Isn't that Lost Magic?! Hey, Master!" the swordswoman called out, gaining attention of the silver-haired man. "This kid is a Dragon Slayer! Are you gonna steal his magic?"

The man's eyes slightly widened at her words, as he slowly walked up to Natsu. The boy lifted his head up and met the man's cold eyes with his own, making sure his expressed as much hate as possible.

"No, I am not." denied the man, not taking his eyes away from Natsu's. "I am unable to steal Lost Magic. But this child will prove to be a big stone in our plans. Put him with the others."

Natsu felt himself being picked up by the older man. He had no strength to fight back.

"What about this woman?" asked the green-haired man, turning Marie over with his foot.

"Useless. Kill her."

"No!"

All the adults turned their heads in the voice's direction. Theo, who was now walking up to the commotion, held his hands up in the air, giving himself up.

"How many of them did you let escape? You dumbass!" asked the brunette, smacking the giant with her hand.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill her. Depending on your answer, I will either smash her head under my heel, or let her live. You have five seconds, kid." said the green-haired man, ignoring his comrade.

"You don't need adults, right? You only came here for children. Well, some of them can't live without Big Sis's help. They're too young, and I don't think any of you are going to tend to them, right?" Theo desperately bargained for Marie's survival, his voice shaky from fear, but audible.

The adults simply looked at each other, without saying a word. Taking it as a sign, the boy continued. "Unless you want half of the children to die on the way to wherever you're taking us, you need her."

The silver-haired man walked up to the boy and squatted in front of him. He looked all over his face with his cold, crimson eyes, before smirking lightly.

"You're too smart for you own good, boy." he said. He then stood up and faced his subordinates. "The woman lives until we reach our hideout. Arthur, patch her up. Grigol, find yourself a different toy."

The man in a suit bowed and put Natsu down on the ground. He then walked up to the woman, while the green-haired man clicked his tongue in annoyance and took his foot off her head.

"As for you..." Silva said to the Dragon Slayer, who continued to stare him down. "You piqued my interest. You'd make a fine member of our guild, but unfortunately, we are out of space. You could become our Officer, if you'd like."

"Drop...dead." muttered Natsu in response, greatly amusing the man.

"I knew I'd like you. Jolene, cuff him up. He looks like a troublemaker, and that's the last thing I want on our way back. Round our loot up and tie them together, including that little girl hiding in the bushes over there."

Theo's eyes widened, as Silva pointed in Faye's direction with his thumb. Natsu, who was currently being put in anti-magic handcuffs by Jolene, tried to rip his arms out of her grip, only to get slapped across his face with her right hand.

Faye was dragged out of her hiding by the azure-haired and black-haired boys, who both took one of her arms. She tried to fight them, but they were simply too strong for her fragile body.

"Man, what a shitty night. I didn't even get to enjoy myself. That girl's arm was my only moment in this hunt." whined Grigol.

"You'll pay for this."

Grigol looked at Natsu, who glared at him from the ground. A vein popped on the man's forehead.

"What did you say?" he asked the Dragon Slayer, his fist clenching.

"Not today. Not tomorrow. But I will make you pay for this." hissed Natsu. "I will never forgive you!"

"You dare threaten me? Me?!" yelled Grigol and raised his arm, ready to punch the pinkette.

"Calm down, Grigol." said a blonde-haired man. "You know that if you hurt him, Master will tear you a new one."

Grigol looked at his friend, but complied. "I know, Dryden. I'm just pissed." he sighed.

"Then again, this kid is really annoying." threw in Jolene. "I doubt Master will complain if I do this."

As soon as she ended her sentence, Jolene smacked Natsu in the back of his head with his sword. His eyes lost their focus, as he quickly started to fade into unconsciousness.

"That's much better."

Grigol's laugh was the last thing his ears have registered before passing out.

"After the destruction of Sunspear Village, Seven Commandments dragged us across the country. As promised, they kept Marie alive. They patched her arm up to the point where it didn't pose any threat to her survival, but it was still not enough. Lack of food, rest and proper hygiene took its toll on all of us. After weeks of wandering, some kids started to get sick, and some of them even died. Obviously, Marie was the one who took all the blame, and as punishment, she became Grigol and Jolene's plaything. I was being kept in chains for the entirety of our trip, much to the Commandments' amusement."

Natsu felt someone kick him in his ribs. It wasn't a hard hit, but it was enough to wake him up from his slumber.

"Wake up. Breakfast. You have five minutes." said Luppi and walked up to the rest of the children, waking them up in the same fashion.

Natsu slowly sit up on the ground and winced in pain. His hands were constantly burning and itching as of late, with blood streaming down to his elbows from under his cuffs. Marie said his hands were slowly becoming one with the binds and if not taken off soon, he could lose his hands due to infection. The only answer she received from her captors was a mocking "We'll think about it."

He looked to his right, where other children were sitting. They all looked awful. Their clothes were now worse than rags, some of them missing parts of their clothing. He spotted Theo and Faye, who sat few meters away from him. The boy was practically naked, his shirt currently hanging on his little sister.

"Here you go." whispered a kind voice. Natsu recognized it right way, it was one of the main things that kept him going. Marie handed him a dry piece of bread, carefully putting it in his hurt hands.

"Thanks, Sis." he grinned weakly, receiving a smile from the woman in return. She looked even worse than the children. During the day, she had to take care of them, and in the evenings, she acted as a servant to the Commandments. She barely had any time to sleep, which could be easily noticed, with her blue eyes now bloodshot, with giant bags placed underneath her lower eyelids.

"Are we going to die?" asked a little girl, her body shaking from her quiet sobbing.

Marie bit her lip in frustration. Truth to be told, she wanted to cry as well, but not for herself. She felt so much grief and sadness at the sight of those poor, innocent children, that her chest was getting heavier and heavier with each day. But right now, she was their only pillar of hope, and she couldn't afford to break down.

"No, of course not." the redhead comforted the girl, hugging her with her healthy arm.

"Someone will save us?" the girl asked with a muffled voice.

Marie hesitated before answering. "I don't know." she replied truthfully, hugging the child even harder.

Natsu grit his teeth at the sight. For the past couple weeks, the only feeling and emotion his mind was managing to register was anger. Pure, clean fury. He clenched his fists, ignoring the pain in his wrists, his teeth bared. "If only I was stronger, none of this would have happened."

"Hey, pinkie." called out Grigol, as he walked up to the children, who shook in fear at the sight of him. "Good news, you're losing those cuffs of yours. But I warn you, if you try anything stupid, I'll rip your arms off, understood?"

The Dragon Slayer stared at the man with hatred in his eyes, but nodded his head. "Good boy." smirked Grigol and kneeled in front of Natsu, grabbing a hold of his hands.

Natsu grit his teeth in pain. "Oh, sorry. I forgot." said Grigol, his face not sorry at all. He put the key inside of the cuffs and turned it. The metal clicked, making some room around Natsu's wrists. In one, swift and brutal motion, Grigol ripped the cuffs off Natsu's hands, making him yell out in pain. The anti-magic handcuffs came off, along with the Dragon Slayer's skin, leaving round, crimson wounds all around his wrists.

"Ah. Music to my ears." moaned Grigol and put the cuffs in his back pocket.

Natsu's eyes teared up from the pain. He didn't expect it to hurt so much, but slowly, the pain was starting to weaken. He moved his arms around, making round motions with his stiff shoulders. After warming his sore arms up, he reached out for his bread.

"Bitch, what did I say? Everyone gets the same amount of food, which part of that did you not understand?"

Natsu quickly turned his head in the voice's direction. He noticed Jolene, who was currently standing over Marie and Faye. The swordswoman was holding two pieces of bread, staring the redhead down with hateful eyes.

"This girl is one step away from starving, she can't survive on one piece of bread per day!" Marie tried to reason with the slaver. "Please, she's always been sickly!"

"In case you haven't noticed, I don't care!" hissed Jolene, before kicking Marie in the cheek, The woman fell to the ground, blood splashing onto the ground from her cut lip. "It seems I haven't trained you enough-"

Jolene's threat was interrupted by a flaming punch to her right cheek. Reaching his limit, Natsu launched himself at the woman and caught her by suprise with his Iron Fist. The woman took couple steps back, taking in the full extent of the blow. She looked at the Dragon Slayer in shock, her cheek stinging and numb. She felt blood fall onto her shoe and brought her hand up, wiping her bloodied lip with her thumb. At the sight of blood, her face twisted in a horrifying grimace, pure fury taking over her mind.

"You little bastard-"

"Fight me!" roared Natsu, putting up his fists. "Let's end this right here, right now! If I beat you, you let us go!"

Jolene was now about to explode. "You dare make demands to us?! You little shit!" she screamed, dashing at the boy.

"Jolene, wait!" called out a voice, making the woman stop mere centimeters away from Natsu.

Silva stood up from his spot and walked up to the pair. "Master, you can't possibly turn a blind eye on this?" asked the woman.

"I have no intention of doing so, but the boy is right. He has every right to fight for his freedom." replied the Master, confusing his underling. "Boy." he called out to Natsu. "I will grant your wish. You're free to engage Jolene in battle. If you win, I promise to set you and your friends free. If you lose, you will remain with us, and cause no further problems on our journey. Do we have a deal?"

Natsu considered his options. He looked at his friends, who were staring at him with weird looks on their faces. Marie silently shook her head, worry expressed on her face. He looked at Theo, who met his eyes. He nodded with determined eyes, giving Natsu a signal. "We must fight."

Natsu inhaled to calm himself down and shifted his eyes back to Silva. "Deal."

The man smirked coldly. "Very well. Jolene, take over."

The woman broke her neck, keeping her eyes focused on the Dragon Slayer. "I'm going to enjoy this."

Natsu lowered himself and put his arms to his sides.

"Ready?" asked Silva. Both fighters nodded, not taking their eyes off each other. "Go!"

Jolene quickly drew one of her swords and dashed at Natsu. She was up for a suprise, though, as the Dragon Slayer closed the distance as well, not in the woman's range.

"Closing in against a long ranged weapon? A wise choice." Arthur praised the boy with his hand on his chin.

Jolene clicked her tongue in annoyance and slashed at Natsu, who had to literally fall to the ground to avoid being cut. Despite using the element of suprise against her, he was still losing in speed. He quickly rolled over to his back and brought up his knees, before kicking them up. His feet were aimed at the brunette's chin, but instead, they hit her swords, which she brought up to defend herself.

"Damn." whistled Dryden, impressed with the boy's effort. "Seems like both of you have some competition." he said to Jellal and Luppi, who watched the fight with stoic expressions. Luppi merely raised an eyebrow at this statement, while Jellal chuckled in amusement.

"This brat..." thought Jolene, feeling cold metal under her chin. She quickly swat her blade to the side, knocking the pinkette's legs off her. She regained her position and stabbed Natsu, who rolled out of the blade's way at the last second. He got on all fours 2 meters away, ready to strike back, but instead, he was met with Jolene's foot making contact with his face. He was blown back, his back sliding on the ground. He opened his eyes, only to see his opponent pouncing on top of him, her blade up against his throat.

"Game over." she whispered.

Natsu pressed his throat against the blade, its tip slightly piercing his skin, as a small stream of blood flown down his neck. "Not yet." he growled.

FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!

Jolene was consumed by point blank flames, with Natsu blowing his lungs as hard as he could.

"I got her!" he thought hopefully. However, that was not the case, as suddenly he felt his mouth being grabbed, with a hand emerging from the flames. The hand belonged to Jolene, who stared at the Dragon Slayer with bloodlust in her eyes, very light burn marks covering her entire body.

"That hurt." she whispered menacingly, before smashing Natsu's head into the ground. She repeated this motion for couple times, sending him into unconsciousness even further with each hit.

"That's enough, Jolene." called Silva, causing the woman to stop. She took a last glare at her downed opponent, before getting off of him, leaving him beaten and immobile.

"As we discussed, you stay with us." stated the Master.

Marie watched Natsu with teary eyes, her hand covering her mouth. The children started to sob, their last thread of hope burned into ashes. Only Theo kept a straight face, as he comforted his sister.

"The fight may be over, however...you have yet to learn your lesson." said Silva to Natsu. "Jolene." he called to the woman. "You can do the honor."

The woman grinned sadistically in response. "With pleasure." She walked up to the children, terrifying them even more. She looked at their faces for a while, before laying her eyes down on Faye. "She's always been sickly, right?" she asked Marie. Without waiting for the redhead's response, she grabbed the girl by the hair and dragged her out of the group.

"Let her go!" Theo roared at the woman, chasing after her, only to be kicked in the teeth.

"Geez, we really have to put some work into you brats. No respect what so ever." groaned Jolene, still holding the girl by the hair. "Maybe this will help you."

In one swift motion, she drew her sword and slit the girl's throat. Marie cried out in despair, finally breaking down. The kids followed her suit, as they cried in horror. Theo simply stared at his sister, not a single noise finding its way out of his throat.

Jolene let go of the now dead girl, as she fell to the ground with a dull thud, her eyes half open.

"I'll kill you!" growled Natsu, getting back up from the ground. Tears streamed down his face, his face twisted in pure fury. "I'll slaughter every single one of you!"

"You have every right to try." replied Silva, his voice still calm and stoic. "However, every time you request battle, and fail to defeat one of my friends, one of the children will die. Everything in this world has a price. You can't expect us to just let your challenge us without paying. In a duel, you stake your own life, but since we cannot kill you, we have to retaliate in other way. Remember this day, Natsu. Remember this lesson. Do not forget this guilt."

Silva's last words hit the Dragon Slayer harder than any blow. He dropped to his knees, breaking down, guilt and sorrow filling every fiber of his being.

"We depart in 2 minutes. Clean this mess up." Silva commanded Arthur, who bowed and gave order to other Commandments.

After what felt like eternity, Natsu felt himself being dragged by his arm, his figure getting further and further from Faye's now buried body. He passed Marie and the kids, who were being led in a small formation. He noticed the familiar blonde hair of his friend and lifted his heavy head to look at him. Theo looked back at Natsu, and the Dragon Slayer felt his eyes stinging even more at the sight.

There was no hate, or anger in Theo's eyes. Only sadness and powerlessness. They didn't need to express their feelings out loud to understand each other. Natsu broke down once again, sobbing quietly.

"I don't deserve this." he thought, Theo's eyes imprinted on his mind. The eyes that didn't aim a single bit of blame.

"After this incident, I stopped putting any resistance. I blamed myself for what happened, even though both Theo and Marie assured me it wasn't my fault. Theo praised me for my bravery, but I couldn't accept it. I couldn't bare to look at him. During the next couple weeks of our travels, even more children died from hunger and sickness. To replenish their losses, Seven Commandments raided yet another village, capturing even more children than before. It was at this moment, where I've realised, that I was never going to see Igneel again. But as it soon turned out, I was wrong."

"Natsu." called out a voice quietly, barely above whisper. The boy stirred in his spot, sleep still tightly clutching his mind. "Natsu!" the voice called a little louder, effectively waking the Dragon Slayer up.

"What is it?" he asked annoyed, wiping his tired, bloodshot eyes. He's been having trouble sleeping as of late, so being woken up like that was pretty infuriating. When his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he noticed Marie's kind face right next to his.

They were currently in a shed that belonged to the freshly pillaged village. Grigol and Dryden found a huge stack of rare alcohol, loudly expressing their joy. They were even "kind enough" to let their prisoners sleep under aroof for the first time in months. Obviously, they were being watched by Grigol, who after drinking a satisfying dose of the liquor, threw himself on a chair and slept like a troll, his snoring echoing throughout the shed.

"Sis? What's wrong?" asked Natsu, matching her tone.

His eyes widened when she showed him a knife. "We're getting out of here." she whispered, quickly getting to cutting Natsu's binds. Due to his lack of will to fight and his gruesome wounds, they did not put him back in chains, instead tying him up like the rest of the children.

"Where did you get this?!" he asked, genuinely shocked.

"That's what these monsters get for drinking near a former thief." hissed Marie, cutting the ties of other kids and waking them up. "Help me out."

Natsu nodded eagerly and quietly ran up to the others, lighting his finger on fire. Both of them quickly dispatched of any binds that restrained the children and were now gently waking them up.

After couple stressful minutes, all the children were free and up on their feet. Marie rounded them up right by the door and instructed them the escape plan.

"Now, follow me. Do not make any noise, and stick together. As soon as we reach the trees, we make a run for it, do you understa-"

The woman's eyes shot wide open, as the sound of waking up Grigol reached her ears. Not only hers, as the children now watched the giant man stand up from his chair, his drunk eyes glued to Marie's back.

"You little..." he mumbled, before raising his arm to deflect a knife thrown by Marie.

"Run! Get away from here! Don't stop running, no matter what!" she roared and walked in front of the children, who kicked down the door an ran out of the shed, blindly running towards what was in front of them.

"Sis!" called out Natsu, who stayed behind, only to be dragged by Theo and another boy.

"We have to go! We can't stay here!" yelled Theo, successfully dragging the pinkette out of the shed.

Marie was slowly backing up, as furious Grigol was now walking towards her.

"I won't let you hurt them any further!" she screamed, before throwing herself at the man. This was the last thing Natsu's eyes have registered, before being dragged into bushes.

"Let me go, Theo! We have to save Sis!" he yelled, finally getting free from his friend's grip after. They were now pretty good distance away from their prison.

"You know damn well we can't!" the blonde screamed back, with tears in his eyes. "She knew what would happen! The only thing we can do is respect her wish and get out of here!"

Natsu stared at his friend, the figures of other children running behind him getting smaller and smaller with each second. He battled himself in his mind, his fists clenching themselves. He knew he stood no chance against any of the Commandments, but he couldn't just leave her behind like that.

"If you go, I won't be able to help you." pleaded Theo, reaching out to Natsu. The Dragon Slayer shook his head and turned around.

"Go ahead, I'll be right back. With Sis."

Theo lowered his head sorrowfully and turned around as well. "I see. Take care, Natsu." he whispered, before running deeper into the forest, leaving Natsu all alone.

The Dragon Slayer took a deep, calming breath. He knew damn well he wasn't coming back. But he wouldn't forgive himself if he just stood there, and did nothing, or even worse, ran away. He'd rather die, than leave a friend behind.

Just when he was about to walk back to the shed, he heard Silva's voice echo throughout the forest.

"Natsu! Come out! I have something to show you!"

Terror grasping his throat, the pinkette ran through the bushes, quickly making his way back. But he wasn't just going to give himself up like that, not without a proper plan. He reached the last set of branches and quietly kneeled in front of them, peeking through the gaps in-between them.

Silva, along with other Commandments, was now standing in front of the abandoned shed. He was holding one of Jolene's swords in his right hand, as he searched throughout the trees for the pink-haired Dragon Slayer. Right next to him was Marie, currently being held in the air by her joined wrists by Grigol. She wasn't hurt, but immobilized, and taken hostage. This slightly calmed the anxious Dragon Slayer down.

"I know you can hear me!" called Silva, still looking for his prey. "If you don't come out, this woman will die. If you do, I promise I will not harm neither you, nor her."

Natsu clenched his teeth. There was no other way, he had to give himself up. He slowly stood up from his spot and was about to walk out in the open, but something prevented him from doing so.

In all the commotion and darkness, by some miracle, Marie spotted the pinkette. She looked at the dark mages, before looking at the Dragon Slayer once again. She shook her head with teary eyes, signalizing to not come out.

"This is your last warning! Come out!" called out Silva, his stoic voice losing its composure.

Marie shook her head once again, tears streaming down her face. She didn't want it to end like this, but she'd rather face death alone, than watch yet another of her children face the same destiny.

Silva, along with other Commandments watched the area, searching for any signs of movement. Failing in doing so, they all looked at each other, some of them furious.

"Very well." said quietly the Master. "I've always hated unifinished business."

Natsu was about to step out of his hiding, when he noticed Marie's gaze. He stared into her kind, blue eyes, feeling himself getting paralysed. He watched with wide, teary eyes, as the woman smiled kindly and mouthed something to the boy in her last moments.

"I love you."

In one, quick move, Silva pierced Marie's stomach with Jolene's sword. At this sight, Natsu bit his hand as hard as he could to muffle his scream, fresh blood streaming down his wrsts. Marie's eyes misted and lost their focus, as they slowly started to close themselves, her figure becoming limper. After taking one, final look at Natsu, her head dropped to her chest, as she hanged limply in Grigol's grasp, lifeless.

Silva pulled out the sword and stroke it towards the ground, shaking the blood off the blade. He handed the sword back to its owner, before giving his order. Grigol let go off her hands, letting her drop to the ground onto her back.

"Search the area. They couldn't have gotten too far."

His subordinates nodded, before splitting up. Natsu dropped to his knees and sobbed into his hand, his body shaking heavily. Heavy tears streamed down his face, his eyes glued to Marie's body. After what felt like hours, he took them off and closed them as tight as possible, using all the strength he had to restrain himself from running up to her.

"It happened again." he cried. "I lost someone close to me once again."

He continued to cry into his hand until the first rays of sun peeked out from behind the horizon. Having cried his eyes out a while ago, Natsu continued to stare at Marie. He felt his fists clenching themselves, pure anger replacing his sorrow. He stepped out of his hiding and ran up to the woman, before falling onto his knees right next to her. He gently grabbed a hold of her limp body and hugged her as hard as he could, his last tears falling down into her red hair.

"I'll kill them." he whispered, his grip on the woman's body increasing. There was barely any room for sadness, grief or sorrow in his heart. Only one thing fueled it now, an emotion he never felt this strongly in his life. Anger.

"I will kill every single one of them. I will destroy everything they stood for, even if it costs me my life." he proclaimed, raising his clenched fist towards the sky.

"Forgive me, Igneel. You'll have to wait for a while longer."

"Shortly afterwards, I buried Marie away from the village, right by a small stream, that ran in the forest. She's always liked water, in any shape or form. That was the only way I could respect her memory at the moment. After that, I focused on training and slowly started to track Seven Commandments down. Few years later, I earned the name "Salamander", and replaced it with my real one. I felt like Natsu died that day, along with her. And now, seven years later, I'm here."

Natsu finished his story and stood up from his spot, stretching and expressing his relief shortly afterwards. All of this was followed by Erza's brown eyes, her left eye misty and red. She bit her lip in frustration, as she stopped restraining herself and let the tears flow down her face.

"Why can this man keep going, after everything that happened? How can he bring himself to smile?" she thought, not taking her eyes off the Dragon Slayer. He quickly met her gaze with his own, onyx eyes. Just when Erza opened her mouth to say something, he put his hand in front of her face.

"Stop. Don't say anything. I didn't tell you this to receive your pity." he said, before taking it away.

"Then why did you?" questioned the knight, wiping her eyes with her thumb.

"I told you, as a reminder." he replied, putting on his new jacket on. "I try my best to not forget who I was before it all happened, but I can't afford to lose the sight of my true goal. Balancing it out is pretty hard, if that makes any sense. Though..." he tied his scarf around his now clothed neck and looked at Erza once again. "I think you of all people know what I'm talking about, right?"

Erza was taken in by those words, her voice blocked in her throat for a moment. Did he know more than he was supposed to?

Just when she was about to ask her question, knocking reached her ears, with Gray entering the room.

"Sorry for interrupting you guys, but we're almost there. We're gathering up in the main room." he said, before walking out.

Natsu took a deep breath through his nose, his eyes sharp and focused.

"It's time." he said shortly, before walking out of the room, with Erza following him in suit.

Unbeknownst to both of them, their connected seven year long journey was about to come to an end.

To be continued in Chapter 9: The Arsenal


	9. The Arsenal

Gray entered the control room of Christina, Natsu and Erza following him couple seconds later. Everyone present on the ship was there, all of them looking in his direction. Feeling multiple pairs of eyes on his figure, Natsu felt his face getting unusually warmer and gently coughed, looking around the room to avoid meeting their eyes. He laid his on the main window and immediately felt them narrowing.

In the distance, right under the night sky was a tall tower placed on an island. It was still too far to take a proper look on what it looked like, but even from this far, it was enormous. Natsu clenched his fist, his mind wandering off to his recently relived memories. His face turned into a scowl, his teeth slightly bared. Right next to him stood Erza, her eyes glued to the construction as well. She had a pretty much the same reaction as the pinkette, though her face did not express as much hatred as his.

Mirajane, who was supporting a wall with her back, her hands crossed on her chest, shot a curious look at the pair. She shifted her gaze at the tower, and then back at the pair, this time with a frown, her suspicion kicking in.

"So this is it, eh?" Gajeel broke the silence, looking at the building with his head slightly tilted to the left. "Doesn't look like a weapon to me."

"Yes, it is." confirmed Erza, shot out of her short trance. "And it's not a weapon, but a tool. It's designed to bring back a deceased person back to life."

Gajeel hummed quietly in response and looked back at the tower, done with the conversation.

"Since we're about to land, is there anything you can tell us about those Commandments?" asked Laxus, directing the question at Natsu. The rest of Fairy Tail looked at the pinkette as well, all of them curious.

"Yes, I'd like to know more about them as well." added Mira. "What kind of magic do they use, how strong are they?"

Natsu looked at the woman, his face relaxing a bit.

"It's been seven years, so don't take my word for granted." he answered. "But if I were to guess, I'd say most of them are as strong, or stronger than Erza."

Mira frowned at this statement. Normally, she'd have taken his words as an insult, that he implied she was below Erza. But this was not the time to be difficult, and she had experienced Natsu's strength on her own skin. She knew he had a much better insight into the situation, and his comparison was much more likely to be correct.

"Great. Just what we needed." sighed Gray, clearly not happy about what he heard.

"I suddenly regret coming here." added Gajeel.

"What magic do they use?" Mira continued her questioning, ignoring her friends' whining.

Natsu didn't answer. Instead, he looked like he was considering something. After a short while, that was already starting to irritate the Demon, he opened his mouth.

"I think it'd be for the best if I just told you everything I know about them, rather than answer your questions one by one. Is that okay?" he asked, his eyebrows raised.

Mirajane gently exhaled through her nose. "Sure, go ahead." she said, throwing herself at the wall once again.

Natsu nodded and relayed his intel to the group.

"As name suggests, there's...was seven of them. They're ranked from 1st to 7th, all of them gifted with a name granted them by their Master. The lower the number, the stronger the Commandment is, and their names represent their magic. Their Master is number 1, and this is where I need you to listen to me very carefully."

Natsu's face grew serious in a blink of an eye.

"Those without Lost Magic are not allowed to engage him in combat. At all. This is not me ordering you around, I am saving your lives by saying this."

Fairy Tail mages frowned at these words, some of them looking at each other.

"The hell is this supposed to mean?" asked irritated Gajeel.

"Why does it matter whether our magic is Lost or not?" added Gray, frowning.

"Because he can steal magic." retorted Natsu, suprising the group.

"Steal? You're sure you're not talking about copying?" asked Mirajane. She found it hard to believe that someone could just "steal" someone elses magic.

"Have you seen him do it?" threw in Laxus, not convinced either.

"No." replied Natsu, not casting himself in good light because of it. "But his subordinates wanted him to steal mine. He then admitted he couldn't steal Lost Magic, that's how I know."

The gang looked at each other, not sure what to make of it. None of them has ever heard of someone capable of stealing magic. Copying was a different thing - Copy Magic was rather known, especially amongst Dark Guilds.

"So basically, only Laxus, Wendy, Gajeel and you are allowed to fight him." added wondering Lucy, as she covered her mouth with her fingers. "In other words, Dragon Slayers. Nobody else on this ship uses Lost Magic."

Natsu looked at Lucy, his eyes wide open. He slowly blinked a couple times, gears turning in his head.

"Wendy? Which one of you is Wendy?" he asked, as he searched the room with his eyes. "Is it you?" he asked, quickly walking up to Juvia, which startled the water wizard.

"Wendy is the girl who healed you not so long ago." threw in Erza, slightly embarrassed. Knowing their shy, or in Natsu's case anti-social natures, she should have expected they wouldn't introduce themselves to each other.

Natsu quickly turned his head around and looked at Wendy, who was currently trying to hide behind Lucy.

"You're a Dragon Slayer?!" he asked her with a raised, excited voice.

Wendy peeked out from behind Lucy, her face slightly red. "Y-yes, I am." she confirmed.

The pinkette quickly ran up to her, startling both her and Lucy. He kneeled in front of her and began to check out every single part of her body, from face to her feet, his face way too close to her small figure and his nose constantly sniffing her. This scared Wendy, as she hid behind Lucy once again, trying to get away from him.

Erza walked up to Natsu and gently smacked the back of his head, knocking him out of his trance. "Calm down, you're scaring her."

Natsu massaged his head and looked at the knight. "I've just never seen a female Dragon Slayer before. I got overexcited" he chuckled lightly. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." he said to Wendy, smiling at her awkwardly with his hand raised in the air.

"It's okay, I was just suprised." assured him the little Dragon Slayer, though she did not peek out to meet his eyes.

"I see." Natsu smiled at her for the last time and stood up. "So, where were we?" he asked the other wizards, earning himself their looks of irritation.

Erza couldn't help but feel her lips curving into a small smile. This little scene proved that no matter what sort of hardships people met in their lives, and how much they've changed because of them, there were always some parts that just refused to die.

"You were talking about the Commandments." reminded him Mira.

"Oh, right." Natsu cleared his throat and resumed his previous monologue. "As I said, only the Dragon Slayers can fight Silva. Other than that, there will be five more Commandments in that tower. I know magics of two of them, and I have some guesses about the rest."

"Well then, let us hear it." said Laxus.

Natsu looked at the blonde. He remembered their past encounter - it didn't go well for neither of them. Although even in strength, the difference in their elements put Natsu in a disadvantage, his body slowly but surely becoming too numb to move properly, which ultimately resulted in his defeat. However it was thanks to this man that he had his new powers, and it was thanks to them he bested Grigol. He made a mental note to properly talk with the Lightning Dragon Slayer after their current mission was over, before talking about their upcoming obstacle.

"I'll start with those whose magics I am sure of. First, there's a woman named Jolene. She..."

Suddenly, Natsu stopped talking, words getting stuck in his throat. The images from the past clouded his eyes at the mention of the woman's name, his teeth clenching themselves. This didn't go unnoticed by Erza, who knew what was the cause of his pause. His story was still clouding her mind.

"She uses Requip magic, just like Erza, but instead of armors, she focuses on weapons. Swords, bows, maces, spears, anything that can be used to kill a person. Though I've never seen her use anything as powerful as Erza's armors, since she mostly uses plain iron or steel weapons, I'd say you stay focused. She could be hiding something." he warned them, breaking through his mental barrier.

"So, she's a reverse Erza?" asked Gray.

"Yeah." nodded Natsu, looking at the ice wizard. "But much more lethal. Every single one of her attacks is aimed to kill, to her, it's as natural as breathing."

"Dibs." called Mira, raising her hand. No one was brave, or stupid enough to argue with her.

"Then, we have Luppi. He is the one who's controlling that guy from the Council. He can brainwash people and control them as his puppets. He is the weakest out of all Commandments, but he's just as dangerous. My advice is to not take him on alone, no matter how strong you are." continued Natsu. "The rest is unknown to me. I know one of them is much tougher than the rest, the other one uses some green energy, and the final one, Arthur, carries alot of knives in his pockets and is really fast, but I've never seen them use their magics in real battle."

"In other words, our odds of fighting someone we can prepare for are 50/50." sighed Laxus. "Can't say I'm too happy about that."

"It doesn't matter." retorted Lucy, suprising the man. "If we don't beat them, something terrible will happen. Not to mention all the people they've hurt, those poor girls from Blackhill...I won't let them!"

Laxus stared at the blonde, his eyes wide. He couldn't help but feel impressed with the girl's resolve. He's never thought much of her, but in this very moment, she definitely scored some points in his book.

"I think it'd be for the best if you stayed on the ship, Lucy." said Erza, walking up to the blonde. "I mean no disrespect to both you and your skills, but this mission is too much for you. I can't let you get inside of that tower."

"Erza, again with this?" threw in Gray, his tone more disappointed than angry. "We've talked about this-"

"This is different, Gray." interrupted him Erza, shifting her eyes to meet his. "We are about to face the biggest obstacle in our lives. If the Commandments are truly as strong as me, I see no way Lucy could possibly overcome that. This is not me doubting her skills, this is me stating a fact. If sacrificing her trust is the price for her survival, then it is the price I am willing to pay. I don't want to lose those close to me ever again."

Gray's eyes slightly widened at the sight of Erza's gaze. It was as sharp as ever, even intimidating, but it was also pleading, maybe even desperate. He would have lied if he said he didn't share her feelings, but the price for it was way too big.

Just when he was about to open his mouth and respond, he noticed Lucy placing her hand on Erza's shoulder and forcefully turning the woman around to face her. The redhead looked into Lucy's brown eyes with her own, feeling them widen in suprise.

"I think you're getting the wrong idea of me, Erza." said the Celestial Wizard, her voice quiet, but calm. "I am not planning on facing those people, I know I stand no chance. But I am not planning on staying behind on this ship either. I am here to help people trapped on that island, and I will do everything I can in order to do so, and not even you can stop me. It's like Gray said, it's time you started to trust us as much as we trust you. We're a team, aren't we?"

The last question was asked with a smile on Lucy's face. Erza stared at her friend, her eyes shot wide open.

"I didn't-"

"I know you didn't, and I know you have your reasons to be afraid." Lucy interrupted her, raising her hand to the knight's cheek. "But you can't protect us forever. I promise I will not do anything rash, or stupid."

Erza continued to stare at the girl, still not entirely convinced.

"Master chose her, because he believes in her." said Mira. "He believes in all of us. If you force her to stay behind, you'd spit not only on her, but Master himself as well."

"I'll stay with her." added Juvia, as he walked up to the women. "If things go badly, we'll run. We'll focus on saving the prisoners, not fighting."

Juvia and Mira's words seemed to hit their mark, as Erza's face relaxed. She raised her hand to meet Lucy's and brought it away from her cheek, but still kept it in her armored, gentle grip.

"Very well." sighed the knight. She then looked at Lucy, her eyes growing stern. "But as soon as you sense trouble, retreat."

Lucy's smiled widened, as she nodded. "I promise."

Erza nodded as well, and turned her gaze onto Wendy. "But you stay, and that is not up for discussion. You are the only person here capable of using Healing Magic. We will need you for the wounded, and I'm sure there will be lots of them. Is that okay?"

"Yes! I will do my best." nodded Wendy. She actually wanted to stay behind, as her confidence in her fighting skills was almost non-existent. She would do a much better job by staying behind the lines.

Erza gave the small Dragon Slayer a nod of her own, some weight getting off her chest.

"Ladies and gentlemen." called Hibiki, gaining the attention of everyone present in the room. "We are about to reach our destination."

Erza looked at the main window of Christina, with the tower taking majority of its view. She felt her armored fists clenching themselves, a wave of fear spreading throughout her chest. It was just how she remembered it.

The tower resembled a giant, grey clock. It was higher than any construction she'd ever seen, with each floor designed differently than the others. The main entrance to the tower was placed at the very top of high, white stairs that started just by the ocean shore. The first floor was surrounded by many smaller towers, and on top of it sat second floor, designed to look like a castle. Every single floor above it looked differently, up to the very top, which was made out of simple, grey bricks, with four giant windows on each wall. On top of it sat a narrow roof, with a giant spike-like thing growing out of it, reaching towards the sky. Despite its bizarre appearance, the tower looked rather smoothly, the different styles working with each other rather marvelously. If Erza hadn't hated and feared this place with her whole heart, she'd call it beautiful.

She looked to her right, Natsu standing right next to her, his eyes glued to the tower as well. However, his weren't focused on its exteriors, but rather what was inside of it. Or rather, who was inside.

"Are you afraid?" she asked him, earning herself a weird look from the Dragon Slayer.

The question sounded so childish, so weak, and yet so appropriate. It was one of the questions she had wanted to ask him for days now. There were moments where she couldn't help but admire and envy him. The way he engaged his past was something she had lacked strength to do for years, and only now had she finally found that necessary spark of courage and strength.

"Of course I am." he replied shortly, shifting his eyes back to the tower. "For years I wondered what would happen if I found them, what kind of face would I make, what feelings would I feel. Now that I'm this close to rhem, I know it's fear. But not just fear - it's a mix of emotions I can't even describe. A part of me is happy, a part of me is afraid, but if I were to choose, I'd say anger is the one I'm feeling the most. I finally know where to aim it at, I can finally let it loose. I either finish this, or die in this place. There's no third option."

Erza's eyes narrowed, as she watched his face, now twisted into an angry scowl. She recalled their first conversation in the cave, when he told her his only fear was never finding those people. Now, that he's found them, his fear turned into anger. She bit her lip in frustration, as she recalled the days when she allowed anger to control her. The people she pushed away, the people she hurt. "You were in a similar situation not so long ago, with one leg already deep in darkness. Yours was pulled out, buy his is still there, sinking deeper with each day. If we don't hurry, he will reach the point of no return.". Makarov's words echoed in her mind, making her fists clench even harder.

"Before we go there, I have to ask you a favor."

Natsu looked at her, his right eyebrow slightly raised.

"No matter what happens in there, do not lose yourself to hatred." she said, her tone calm. "I know what it feels like, I know what it does to people. Hatred makes you blind, blind makes you vulnerable. That's why I want you to promise me that you will not succumb, no matter what,"

Natsu continued to look at her, his expression unchanging. It was stoic, almost as if he was listening to her talking about weather.

"I'll try." he replied, before looking at the tower once again.

Erza shifted her eyes to the floor, closing them for a moment. She knew he wouldn't listen, her old self wouldn't either. But she was far from admitting defeat. She'd use force to keep him away from that path if she needed to.

"Thank you." she breathed, before looking at the tower as well.

Silva sat in his throne, his eyes looking through his window at the giant ship approaching his home. He smirked in triumph, his keen senses picking up the unusual magic power he hasn't felt in years. Before his throne stood a coffin, sat on top of a small mountain of wood. Inside of it laid Grigol's body, broken and scarred, currently covered by a white cloth. Before the coffin stood all the remaining Commandments, waiting to say goodbye to their comrade..

"My friends." called Silva. "We are being visited by an old friend of ours. I'm sure all of you remember him quite well."

Jolene's fists clenched at her Master's words. It took her all the strength in her body to restrain herself from storming the intruders' ship and cutting Salamander into pieces. Noticing this, Silva smirked lightly, before continuing his speech.

"He is a man of many meanings. He's our biggest failure, yet our biggest hope. But most importantly, he is the killer of our brother."

Arthur closed his eyes and placed his hand on his chest, giving his fallen comrade his final farewell. Tears found their way down Jolene's face, as she bit her lip, trying to contain her emotions. Jellal and Luppi remained stoic, almost as if not caring about their guildmate.

"Tonight, we say farewell to our brother, Grigol."

Silva stood from his throne and waved his hand to his right. In one, quick moment, Grigol's coffin erupted in a small explosion, that lit up both the coffin and the woodstack. The smell of burned wood and flesh reached the noses of the Commandments, their friend slowly but surely becoming ash.

"But tonight, we also say farewell to this cruel world." Silva's voice was now raised. "This filthy, unjust world, ruled by those who consider themselves better than us. Tonight, we reject this world and grant it to our Master - Zeref."

Jolene stared at her Master, her eyes burning with hatred and thirst for revenge, not just for Salamander, but everyone who had wronged her.

"Our seven years long mission has reached its end. By the time sun raises, our Lord will be resurrected, and the world prepared for cleansing!" Silva was now screaming, his hands raised in the air.

"What a lovely speech." breathed sarcastically Jellal, his words reaching only his ears.

"Salamander is almost in our grasp. However, he is not alone. He's brought allies, powerful allies, someone you've all heard about as well. Our meeting with Fairy Tail was bound to happen, sooner or later. Our Lord has rewarded us by bringing them to our doorstep on a silver platter."

Jellal's interest was now piqued. If Fairy Tail was coming, it meant that woman was bound to come as well. He couldn't stop the small smile that formed on his face.

"They are nothing but an obstacle in our plans. You are free to dispose of them however you so desire, but you must bring Salamander alive. It doesn't matter how many limbs he's lacking, he must breathe. Now, go, my brothers and sister. Fulfill your destiny."

"Yes, Master Silva!" yelled the Commandments, before storming out of the room.

"Luppi." called Silva, causing the teenager to stop in his tracks. "I'd rather you didn't leave this floor. Your body is on its limit, I cannot risk you taking a part in this battle."

Luppi frowned at his Master's words, clearly not fond of this idea.

"If I go with them, I can help clean them up much faster." replied Luppi. "All I have to do is freeze their movements, one by one. That is still within my limit, without revealing myself."

Silva's eyes narrowed, as he considered his subordinate's idea. "Very well. But you are forbidden to fight on the front lines. If things get ugly, however, resort to support. Stay in the shadows, as I have taught you many years ago."

Luppi bowed before leaving the room. "As you wish, Master."

As the teenager made his way downstairs, he couldn't help but feel excitement at the thought of finally getting some action.

"I know exactly where to hide." he said to himself, before heading down the stairs that led to Silva's floor. Just when he exited the floor, he noticed Jellal standing in the entrance, his back against the wall, his face twisted in an irritating smirk.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked annoyed Luppi, as he stopped in his tracks. "You're supposed to head downstairs with the others."

"I wish to stay here." retorted Jellal. "In case the others fail, I will be here to protect Master. After all, we cannot let him get hurt before the grand finale now, can we?"

Luppi's face twisted into a scowl. That condescending nature of his and that constant dose of sarcasm in his voice brought the teenager to a boiling point. It's always been like this, ever since they met.

"I'll never understand why Master lets you pull this shit off with no consequences." growled Luppi as he passed Jellal and continued his way downstairs.

"Let's just hope you're not stupid enough to peek into his mind, like you did with me. I don't think he's as forgiving as I am." retorted the man, his tone unchanging.

The Mind simply ignored this taunt and entered the main corridor of the floor, leaving Jellal behind on his own.

Natsu's feet were the first to touch the island, as Christina has finally reached its destination. Gajeel, Laxus and Mira followed him in suit few seconds later, with Juvia and Lucy trailing behind them. Erza remained on the ship for a while longer, as she stared at the ground.

"Erza? Are you okay?" asked concerned Lucy, noticing her friend's tense figure.

Erza raised her head and breathed out through her nose. "Yes. Let's move out." she said, before jumping down and landing on the island.

"We will remain here until your return." exclaimed Ichiya from inside of the ship. "Good luck, my friends."

"Be safe." added Wendy.

Fairy Tail mages nodded to their friends, before starting to run up the long stairs.

"If you wanna go back, this is your last chance." said Natsu, who was leading the group.

"We can't, even if we wanted to." sighed Gray.

"Joke like that again and I'll blast your face one more time." retorted Mira from behind Laxus.

Natsu couldn't help but smirk at their remarks, an odd, familiar feeling filling his chest.

With each second the tower was getting bigger and bigger, the stairs slowly reaching their end. At the end of them was light, reflecting from behind open door that led inside. Natsu was well aware it was a trap, they all did. But there was no time to be sneaky.

With one final step, Natsu's foot touched the door of the tower, as he quickly crossed it, the rest of the group following him. They have entered the lowest floor of the tower. It was consisted of a giant lobby, that seemed almost endless. Right in the middle of it laid thick, red carpet that led straight deep into the darkness that resided at the end of the lobby, with wooden floor on each side of it. Instead of walls, there were two giant windows that spread all over the floor, the moonlight lighting the place up rather beautifully. Overall, this floor was almost empty, with barely any furniture or structures to fill the space in.

Erza could hear the echo of her armored footsteps bouncing from wall to wall, as she and her friends made their way deeper into the lobby. Suddenly, Natsu stopped in his tracks and raised his hand, alarming the group to halt.

"What is it?" she asked the Dragon Slayer, only to see him ignite his fist in response.

"They're coming."

The floor has started to shake under the weight and sound of countless feet kicking the ground, as dozens of people stormed out of the darkness, all of them charging at the wizards. They all wore black, ankle long coats and helmets with one glass visor that allowed them to see through. They were all armed in weapons of various kinds, such as swords, maces, and even battleaxes.

"Here comes the welcoming party." smirked Mira, as she put up her guard.

Instead of waiting for the wave to hit, Natsu dashed towards the group, quickly closing the remaining distance between them. He put his fire off and flexed his shoulder, crashing into his opponents like a bull, knocking several of them onto their backs.

"Follow Natsu! Conserve your magic!" yelled Erza, as she Requipped one of her regular swords and threw herself into battle as well, focusing on protecting her unarmed friends from the weapons.

The group quickly followed her in suit, all of them not using their magic. Well, with the exception of Gajeel, who used his hardened fists to quickly dispose of his opponents. The same pattern was followed by the remaining mages, none of them using magic, their fists being their only tools they used to knock the masked people unconscious.

Erza swiftly parried a slash aimed at her right side and pushed her sword upwards, knocking the weapon out of her attacker's grip with its crossguard. She then flipped the sword over in her hand and struck her opponent with its handle straight into his stomach, knocking him out. She relaxed and took a look at Natsu, who was currently landing punches and kicks on the remaining enemy forces. She felt herself frown at the sight. The number of enemies was definitely high, yet their resistance was non-existent. It was almost as if they didn't know what to do with the weapons they were carrying.

"Something's not right." said Mira, as she turned one of the downed men with her foot. "They all fell after one hit. Are they messing with us?"

"I agree." said Erza, sheathing her sword. "This is beyond sketchy. Be on your guard."

Gajeel's ear twitched, as one of the downed people moved. He walked up to the masked person and grabbed their coat, forcefully turning them over. He was met with a terrified female eye peeking out of her broken helmet.

"I've got some questions for ya, lady." mumbled Gajeel, scaring the woman. She desperately shook her head, not a single sound escaping her mouth. "But first, let's get rid of this stupid helmet."

Gajeel forcefully ripped the helmet off the woman's head, a giant cloud of dirty, entangled hair falling out of it. Her cheeks were sullen, her skin strained and pale. Her mouth was gagged, rendering her unable to speak. The Dragon Slayer frowned and removed the gag from the woman's mouth, this time using much gentlier measures.

"We must stop you..." muttered the terrified woman, her eyes bloodshot and sunken. "We must stop you...Masters said to stop you, we must stop you...otherwise..."

"The hell are you talking about? Did your screw get loose or something-" started Gajeel, before feeling his eyes widen. He grabbed the woman's collar and pulled it down, ripping it in the process. His shocked eyes were met with an iron collar, tightly wrapped over the woman's neck.

"These guys are the slaves!" yelled the Dragon Slayer, shocking the rest of the group.

Upon hearing these words, Laxus quickly ripped the helmets of two people that laid near him, both of them strapped in similar collars as well. He was about to speak up, when his nose picked up several new smells approaching from where the slaves ran out from. Just when he was about to call out their approach, his ear picked up a weird, ringing sound. It was quiet, too quiet for normal people to catch, but his enhanced hearing allowed him to hear it loud enough to realise it was starting to get quicker and louder. The slaves started to throw themselves on the floor, ignoring their pain and injuries, as they desperately tried to run away from something. Gears turning in his head, Laxus felt his eyes widen in realisation, his body reacting on his own.

Two seconds later dozens of explosions erupted around the wizards, all of them merging into one, giant blast. The entire tower shook from its impact, pieces of weapons, clothes and human bits scattering all over the floor, all windows exploding from the inside, as giant pieces of glass fell into the ocean.

After a short while, two figures walked out of the shadows, one of them holding something in her hand.

"You do realise Salamander was in that blast, right?" asked one of them in a male voice. He was a blonde man of high, skinny posture. His hair was very short, his head resembling the top of a matchstick. He had green eyes with a deep scar running across his right one. He was wearing a blue battle uniform, with white straps running down his torso from his collar, with the same kind of straps running down his arms as well. It was very similar to his partner's.

"I don't care. If he died from something like this, then he was not worth of our time to begin with." replied the other one in a poisonous tone. She was wearing a black skin tight uniform, with two swords strapped to her lower back. Her right eye was covered by her brown bangs, her shoulder-length hair flowing in the wind of the blast.

Jolene walked up to the scene with a detonator in her right hand, a sinister smirk growing on her face. "At least now we don't have to worry about getting rid of our leftovers. Report to Master, Dryden. Fairy Tail has been-"

Jolene was interrupted by the sight of fire left by the explosion being suddenly gathered and sucked in inside of the smoke, as it began to clear out, revealing a male figure sucking the fire in through his mouth, with a giant barrier made out of yellow lightning behind him. Natsu slurped the last bits of the fire, before sighing in relief. Jolene felt her eyes widening at the sight, her teeth painfully clenching on their own.

The lightning barried dispelled, revealing that everyone inside of it was unharmed, all of them forcefully dragged inside by Laxus right before the blast went off. Erza, still shocked, looked around the place, her stomach twisting itself at the sight. The floor was scorched and completely destroyed, covered with remaining bits of fire and burned, dismembered people. Their remains were scattered all over the lobby, some of them sticking to the walls, and even the ceiling. Every bits of fear or anxiety she felt upon entering the tower was now replaced by pure fury.

"How could they do this?" asked dumbfound Juvia, her eyes blindly staring at the biggest scorch. Lucy stood right next to her, tears falling down her face, unable to speak.

"They're not people anymore." growled Gray, his clenched fists shaking in anger. "They're just beasts in human skin."

"This is fucked up." added Mira, her face green but matching that of her friends.

Erza turned her gaze towards the pair, her face twisted in a furious scowl. She was about to open her mouth to express her feelings, but was interrupted by a sight that froze her blood.

Natsu's face no longer resembled that of a human. His pupils, glued to Jolene's figure, were so small they could be barely seen. His teeth were bared, his long fangs exposed, like a wolf ready to put them in its prey. His face was the physical personification of pure, wild fury. He made a slow, unnaturally heavy step towards the woman, a quiet growl finding its way through his clenched teeth. Jolene, whose face was sickingly familiar to his, replied by making a step of her own. Natsu took another one, this time faster, and lighter, only to be parroted by Jolene once again. The tension between those two increased the gravity in the room, their magical power growing to suffocating levels.

Dryden, who was more than aware of what was going to happen, did not even bother to stop his friend. Instead, he lowered himself on his knees, ready to dash when needed.

Natsu and Jolene were now walking towards each other, the distance between them slowly getting smaller. His fists were clenched, while hers were tightly closed on the handles of her swords, her right one breaking under pressure.

"Salamander!"

Suddenly, Jolene screeched in pure fury and dashed towards the Dragon Slayer, immediately pulling out her swords in the meantime. He responded by doing the same, his fists catching on fire, as he kicked the ground with enough force to crack it. Unfortunately for the woman, he closed the distance much faster than her, suprising her with his speed. Her plans of striking first rendered as failed, she crossed her swords in front of her chest, ready to catch her opponent's attack. Natsu pulled his right arm back and struck Jolene's guard with tremendous force, his flames splashing all over the place. Not even a second later, Jolene felt being overpowered by the Dragon Slayer, as he pushed her weapons against her chest and broke them into pieces, effectively pushing her back and knocking her out of balance, both of her feet losing contact with the ground and her body slowly tilting towards the ground in the air. Jolene's face expressed pure shock, both from Salamander's speed and the fact she was so easily overpowered. She felt like a child.

Not giving her even a shadow of a chance to regain her position, Natsu quickly stepped in and readied a left hook, his fist quickly making its way towards Jolene's unguarded, terrified face. Suddenly, he felt a disturbance right next to his right ear and, using his instincts and agility, ducked as fast as he could, a powerful punch flying just over his head.

Dryden joined the battle and tried to blindside the Dragon Slayer from his right side, his right straight aimed at pinkette's temple missing just by the skin of teeth.

With his brain locked onto a new target, Natsu twisted his lowered torso and shifted his weight on his feet, using both of his big toes to turn his entire body 90 degrees to his right. He used his knees to spring himself upwards, turning his legs into catapults. The left hook aimed at Jolene turned into a left uppercut, which found its way right under Dryden's chin. A powerful strike shook the man right to his core, as Natsu's flaming fist connected and blew his head upwards, forcing his neck to extend to its absolute limits to keep his head in its place. A cloud of blood covered the air above Dryden's face, as it found its way through his cut mouth.

Using her comrade's pain as a chance, Jolene quickly regained her composure and slashed at Natsu with the remains of her sword. However, he expected that.

FIRE DRAGON'S WING ATTACK!

Using just his left arm, Natsu pushed both Commandments away from himself, his flames acting more as a shield, rather than an attack. The pair slid on the wooden floor, Dryden wiping his mouth with his sleeve, still not entirely sure of what just happened. "What the hell is wrong with this kid?"

They didn't get to rest for too long, as Natsu caught up to them once again, his cheeks puffed out. Just when he was about to unleash his flames point blank, he felt himself being blown away, dull pain taking over his face. The strike was so strong it knocked him back all the way to Erza and the group, forcing him to flip in the air and dig his nails into the floor to avoid crashing into the knight.

Dryden gulped and looked to his left, relief overtaking the sense of fear he was feeling just a moment ago.

"Nice one, Arthur."

Before Jolene and Dryden stood Arthur, clad in his suit, his right leg he used to kick Natsu with still raised in the air. He gently let it down onto the floor and bent over to shake the dust off his shoe. "Jolene, get a hold of yourself." he commanded, not even looking at the woman.

Jolene stared with blind eyes into nothingness, shock and fear still tightly grasping her mind. "If I was alone...he'd have killed me." She looked at her broken weapons, the dull pain in her hands still reminding her of his strength. "It's been seven years...just seven years. How is it possible? How did he get this strong?"

"Jolene!"

Arthur's raised voice woke her up. He wasn't even looking at her, but she could tell he was furious.

"You're being irrational. Throwing yourself at Salamander without using full strength is equal to suicide, it's as clear as the day. Grigol did not perish by sheer luck, you should have known that." the elder scolded his comrade, a slight sense of concern hidden beneath his stern tone. "That goes for both of you." he added, directing these words at Dryden.

"I know. My bad."

On the other side, Natsu slowly stood up from the ground, ready to dash once again.

"Don't be reckless!" scolded him Erza, causing him to stop at the last moment. "Didn't that last attack teach you anything? This man's ability is not something we can just throw ourselves at!"

"Did you see anything?" asked Mira, directing the question to Laxus.

"No." replied the man, his eyes narrowing. "There was no sound, smell or even presence of his magic power before he kicked Salamander. He simply appeared out of thin air."

"Teleportation?" asked Gray. Laxus shook his head.

"No matter how fast a teleport is, there's always a warning before it happens. This time, there was nothing."

"So, what do we do now? Charge at them?" asked Lucy, her voice broken, but close to her old self.

Erza considered their options. In reality, they outnumbered the Commandments 8 to 3. However, they still have yet to witness their true power. Especially the oldest one. There was only one plan she could come up with, and it was something she had wanted to avoid at all cost.

The knight clicked her tongue, disappointed with herself. "We have to split them up." she said to the group, keeping her voice low. "However, that also applies to us. We have no time to spare, and it doesn't seem like they will just let us through. We can't engage them on our own."

"No." Natsu growled at Erza, his voice almost unrecognizable. "You can go ahead. I'll stay here and slaughter them on my own."

The knight felt sweat run down her temple. She expected this to happen, but not this fast, and not to this extent. Even if she wanted to, she was in no position to forcefully convince him to go with them.

Erza walked up to the Dragon Slayer and put her hand on his tense shoulder, much to the group's suprise. "Leave this woman to us, Natsu." she whispered to him. "You are a key to their plans. If you fall before meeting their Master, everything will be lost. I understand your feelings, I can hardly contain myself as well. But you must not give in. You promised, didn't you?"

Natsu loudly breathed through his nose, waging his options, as reason started to come back to him. She was right - his main target was Silva. Wasting energy fighting other Commandments would surely end up badly, not just for him, but others as well.

"Fine." he muttered, before putting his fists down.

Erza sighed in relief. "Thank you."

"Seems like Titania has found herself a dog." taunted Jolene. "Are you gonna wag your tail as well, Salaman-"

Jolene's taunt was interrupted by a sword making its way towards her face, forcing her to deflect it. She looked over in the direction of her enemies, only to be met with Erza, her right arm extended in front of her, who was glaring daggers at the Commandment.

"How ironic, all I can hear coming from your mouth is barking of a dog. What a shame you were not this confident a minute ago, when Salamander's fist was mere centimeters away from your face, bitch." taunted Mira, infuriating Jolene even further.

"Laxus, we're busting out of here." commanded Erza.

"Sure thing." said Laxus, before covering his body in lightning. "I'd cover your heads if I were you."

With that said, the Dragon Slayer pointed his right arm at the ceiling, a powerful blast of yellow lightning crashing into it with tremendous force. It easily broke through the concrete, creating a giant hole, big enough to fit the group.

"Gray!" called Laxus.

The Maker Wizard caught Laxus' idea and put his hands on the ground.

ICE MAKE: ELEVATOR!

In an instant, a giant block of ice grew under his feet, taking both him and the group up to the next floor.

"You're not getting away!" yelled Jolene, throwing herself after her enemies, Dryden following her suit.

Arthur simply stood in his spot, an amused smile growing on his face. "So that's the best decision you have come up with? How disappointing."

With that said, he turned on his heel and slowly walked into the darkness, as he made his way to the upper floors.

Jolene Requipped a dozen of iron swords around her head and threw them at the iceberg, creating a path. She swiftly jumped from blade to a blade, effectively making her way up. With one final jump, she passed upwards and slashed the ceiling, creating herself a window to pass through. She flew right through it, not several meters above the ground of the second floor. She looked throughout the floor with her eyes, until she spotted the group running off in the distance, heading towards the stairs.

The woman grit her teeth and turned herself in the air, facing the staircase. Just when she was starting to fall, she noticed multiple iron spears flying in her direction with the corner of her eye. She siwftly deflected all of them, as they fell to the ground with loud clanks. Not even a second later she heard a familiar sound and turned in its direction, this time an arrow made out of ice making its way towards her torso. She threw her right sword at the arrow, successfully shattering it. Afterwards, her feet finally touched the ground.

Jolene heard footsteps making their way in her direction from both of her sides.

"She really is like Titania. Normally, I'd be excited. But not after what you pulled off, you trash." growled a voice to her right.

"I'm glad we agree on that one." added a voice to her left. "There's no punishment for what you've all done."

Gray and Gajeel emerged from the shadows, successfully surrounding Jolene. The woman clicked her tongue in irritation, clearly not fond of the situation she was currently in.

"You're going down, bitch." growled Gajeel, his right hand turning into a sword.

Jolene ignored them and threw herself after Natsu, only to be met with a wall of ice growing in her way, which sealed the way to her target.

"I don't think so." hissed Gray, infuriating the woman even more.

Dryden finally caught up with his friend, as he jumped out of the hole she'd made with her weapons. He quickly assessed the situation, before locking his eyes on surrounded Jolene.

"Ganging up on a lady? Gentlemen, that's not very manly-"

His taunt was interrupted by a powerful punch to his right cheek. Mirajane flew up to the man in her Satan Soul and struck him with a right hook, successfully knocking him off the air. His body impacted into the floor, before breaking right through it, as he fell to the floor beneath, back where he came from. Mirajane spread her wings and dived into the hole she'd just made, chasing after the man.

"Make her pay." she threw as farewell to her friends before disappearing.

"You don't have to say it." they exclaimed before dashing at Jolene.

The woman slowly closed her eyes and extended her arms to her sides, aiming them at her opponents.

"Very well." she hissed before summoning multiple spears with each of her hands and launching them at Fairy Tail wizards. "I'll turn you boys into my new toys."

Natsu ran up the stairs, continuously knocking out every masked person that stood before him. After wasting some time and successfully checking the bodies of his first ten victims, he was now sure that none of them had any sorts of explosives strapped to their bodies. This sacrifice allowed the group to safely proceed forward, without putting both themselves and the slaves in danger. The slaves fell one by one after being rendered unconscious by the group, with Natsu taking care of majority of them. This decision was made by Erza, who decided that knocking them out was a much easier and faster method of persuation, even if more brutal. Even Lucy complied to her words without arguing, as she has already successfully choked two men out with her whip.

"There's no end to them!" exclaimed Juvia after pressing a slave against the wall with her water. "At this rate we won't make it"

Erza couldn't help but agree with her friends' judgement. The amount of people swamping them in the tight staircase was overwhelming. They were basically running on people, her eyes not registering even a single, cold step ever since they made the first turn.

"This is taking way too long." added Laxus, as he smashed a person's head against the wall. "We should have taken that elevator up to the very top."

"We don't know what awaits us on each floor, we could easily run into a trap by doing so. Upper floors have been secured with lacrimas - the moment we try to dig our way through we will be fried, and not even your lightning will help you. We have no other choice but advance step by step." responded Erza.

"How do you know this?" asked the blonde with a light frown.

"I helped install them." retorted Erza sorrowly. Laxus no longer pushed the topic.

Finally, Natsu kicked the last attacker out of the way, with no follow up coming afterwards. After 20 more seconds of climbing they were met with a light, as the entrance to third floor appeared before them.

"You think leaving just those three was a good idea?" Laxus asked Erza, as he matched his pace with hers. Not hearing her response, the man tried to press a little harder.

"There are four Commandments left. You, me and Salamander can most likely take them one on one, but what about those two?" he asked, pointing at Lucy and Juvia with his thumb. "They were supposed to focus on prisoners, but look at the situation we're in. The very same prisoners are now lying on the ground behind us. Even if they focus on getting them off this island, they can't go downstairs with those five duking it out. In worst case scenario, they will run into a Commandment."

"I am well aware of this fact." retorted the knight through her grit teeth, trying to think of some sort of a strategy. "I know which floor to leave them on, but I'm afraid the enemy is expecting that."

Laxus looked at her. He knew she was frustrated, and more than likely scared for her friends. Only few minutes spent on this island showed them that none of them knew what sort of a mess they were getting themselves into.

"If that happens, let's just hope they run into the 7th one. They can turn it into a 4v1 if they want to." he said, trying to lift Erza's spirit.

She did not reply.

Gajeel and Gray panted heavily, sweat running down their faces. Dozens of weapons surrounded them, most of them impaled to the ground. Loud sound of Jolene's high heels echoed throughout the floor, as she made her way towards her targets, a sword in each of her hands.

"This bitch..." growled Gajeel in-between his breaths, streams of blood flowing down his iron scales from multiple small cuts he received from the Commandment. "She's toying with us."

"Oh, you noticed?" asked the woman, before dashing at the Dragon Slayer. She slashed his left side, only to have it blocked by his iron club. He retaliated by a slash of his own, as he thrust his right hand that was currently in the form of a sword directly into her chest, only to see Jolene use his momentum against him. She parried the strike with her left sword and directed it to her right, sidestepping at the same time. Gajeel lost his balance and was pulled forward by his own strength. Jolene stepped out of his field of vision and slashed at him. Gajeel's eyes widened in terror at the sight of a blade making its way towards his eyes. He ducked at the last moment, the blade cutting off some of his hair.

"Good boy." breathed Jolene before delivering a left roundhouse into his abdomen, pushing him back. Despite being clad in iron, he felt his muscles bending under the strength of the kick, dull pain spreading over his lower area. As Gajeel slid on the floor, Jolene raised her right arm and put it behind her back, effectively blocking Gray's gauntleted punch that was aimed at her lower back. "That's not how you take a lady from behind." she said before quickly arching her right shoulder blade, which caused her sword to knock Gray's fist away. She quickly turned around and delivered a powerful left kick into his abdomen, causing him to spit out some blood and slide back on the floor, as he buckled over and clutched his stomach.

"I have to say, you guys make great stress relief dummies." she taunted them.

Both men glared daggers at the Commandment, before looking at each other. Gray quickly shifted his eyes onto Jolene's weapons, giving Gajeel a signal. The Dragon Slayer understood it and nodded in response. He took a deep breath and turned his right hand into a sword, this time extending its blade to maximum.

"You really think you will hit me with this?" asked Jolene with a raised eyebrow.

"Not yet." retorted the man before kicking the ground. He horizontally slashed his ridiculously big weapon at Jolene, who simply jumped over it and relocated to a safe distance. The strike destroyed all of the weapons that were stuck in the floor, shards of wood and metal flying in the air.

ICE MAKE: FLOOR!

Gray's voice appeared behind Jolene, as he kneeled and put his hands on the ground, which immediately started to freeze, a thick layer of ice sprawling all over the floor.

"I see. They destroyed those weapons to make sure I didn't use them as footing. Nice move." she thought. "But still too naive."

Just when the ice was about to reach Jolene's feet, she jumped up and plunged her left sword in the ground. She then put both of her feet on each side of its crossguard and straightened herself up, using the weapon as a foothold. The ice reached just to the middle of the sword, Jolene's feet safe and warm.

"What?!" yelled shocked Gray.

The Commandment simply smirked at his confusion and threw her sword in his direction, making him jump back to avoid it, as it planted itself in the ground just where he was recently kneeling. Jolene jumped from her current position and landed on her second sword, swiftly closing the distance between her and Gray. She kicked the sword one more time and launched herself at the man, before turning in the air and throwing a right kick at his head. Despite blocking the blow, Gray felt his head tilting to the side, his arms pressuring his cheek way too hard. Jolene turned around in the air and used the momentum to push Gray away, effectively knocking him back. Just when she finished spinning, she noticed Gajeel making his way towards her. She swiftly landed on the ice and threw her right arm back, almost as if readying herself to throw a bowling ball. A magic circle appeared right behind her hand, as she spun in her spot, before throwing her arm at the Dragon Slayer, a giant spear appearing from behind her figure. With no means of dodging it, Gajeel put his sword up and caught the weapon, successfully blocking it.

In the meantime, Jolene ran up to Gajeel and grabbed the flying spear. She brought it down onto him, making him sidestep out of the way. The weapon smacked the ground with a loud clank, missing its target. Using this timing, Gajeel stepped in and pulled his arm back.

Seeing this, Jolene straightened her spear and planted its tip into the ground. She then tilted her body to the side and using the weapon as a pole, spun around it, matching her timing with Gajeels. With no means of dodging, the Dragon Slayer was forced to put his guard up, as Jolene spun around one more time and smashed both of her legs into his figure, effectively knocking him back. She landed on the ground and pulled the weapon out, before leaning her figure towards the ground and running at mad speed, her spear held behind her back.

Gajeel stopped sliding on the floor and extended his right arm in his opponents direction.

IRON DRAGON'S LANCE: DEMON LOGS!

Several iron spears shot out of of hand, only to be dodged by Jolene, as she jumped over them. While in the air, she threw her own spear at Gajeel, making it scratch his cheek. While still in the air, she Requipped a new set of swords and slashed at Gajeel from above, forcing him to block it with his own weapon.

"I'm starting to like you." Jolene licked her lips, as she pushed the Dragon Slayer back.

"Not interested." retorted the man in a strained voice, as he supported his right arm with his left hand.

Jolene pushed harder, effectively grinding the Dragon Slayer into the ground. Remembering Salamander's moves he picked up in Blackhill, Gajeel put all of his strength into his legs and pushed them up, using the momentum and greatly increasing his power, pushing Jolene's strike away and knocking her off balance. The woman's eyes widened in suprise, her hands losing their grip on her weapons.

IRON DRAGON'S CLUB!

Using this golden opportunity, Gajeel delivered a powerful strike to Jolene stomach, doubling her over in the process. Spit found its way through her mouth as she wheezed from both suprise and sudden lack of oxygen.

Not giving her a moment to rest, the Dragon Slayer followed through with a Hard Fist, only to have it blocked by a shield Requipped by Jolene.

"Her Requip speed is messed up." thought Gajeel. "Not even Titania can change this fast."

"Now you've done it." hissed Jolene. She smacked her shield to the side and knocked Gajeel's fist away. She then summoned an axe and slashed it at his head, making him lean back to avoid it. She let go of the weapon and brought her shield up, only to smash it into his chest and make him fall. Gajeel's back slammed against the ground, air leaving his lungs as Jolene put her foot on his sternum and summoned a new spear, bringing it up to stab him.

Her plan failed with multiple huge icicles flying at her from the side, which forced her to jump away. Gray ran up to the downed Dragon Slayer and stood in front of him, guarding him from the female.

"Get up, tincan." he commanded.

Gajeel slowly stood up from the ground, his torso numb from the impact. "She's movin' too much. That speed of hers is messed up, ain't no way we can catch her the way we are."

"So what are we supposed to do?" asked irritated Gray. His feeling of powerlessness against the Commandment was starting to get to him.

"I have a plan."

"Knowing you, it's stupid and reckless."

"Those are the best ones."

Gray hesitated for a while. "Fine. Spit it out."

Jolene watched both males discuss their plan in silence. "Oh no you don't!" she yelled before rushing at them, her hands glowing.

Gray noticed this and struck his open palm with his fist.

ICE MAKE: LANCE!

Multiple lances shot out of his hands, all of them aimed at Jolene. She swiftly jumped over them, all of them flying right beneath her.

"You fell for it." smirked Gray, suprising the brunette.

IRON DRAGON'S ROAR!

Gajeel unleashed a whirlpool of sharp iron from behind Gray, aiming it at falling Jolene. With nowhere to go, her options were limited, none of them guaranteeing her getting out of this situation unharmed. Or so they thought.

Jolene summoned an enormous iron shield just beneath her feet. Using it as a foothold, she kicked it as hard as she could and successfully jumped over Gajeel's Roar, making it hit nothing but air. The shield fell onto the ground, making it shake under its weight.

"Damn it!" grumbled Gray before punching his palm once again. But he didn't have enough time.

Jolene landed right in front of him and quickly kicked him in the liver as hard as she could. His torso bent, his eyes growing misty from the pain.

Gajeel rushed to help his friend, only to feel his face meet with her foot. His iron scales have successfully absorbed the impact, which allowed him to quickly retaliate with a dual attack of his iron clubs. Jolene jumped over them and using them as a path ran up on top of them to the Dragon Slayer and kicked him in the jaw, successfully smashing his figure into the ground, his head being the first to impact. His vision blurry, he felt blood stream down his face, as he tried to get up, only to feel a spear pierce his right thigh, as he screamed out in pain. The weapon plunged itself into the ground, securing him in his current spot.

"Be a good boy and stay here." whispered Jolene. She bent the handle of her spear to prevent Gajeel from pulling it out. "I'll be right back."

Just when was done with the black-haired man, she felt Gray trying to sneak up on her. She quickly ducked over his ice warhammer and kicked him in the gut once again, making him slowly fall to the ground.

Not wasting any time, Jolene Requipped a dagger and thrust it into his chest, aiming for his heart. In the last possible moment her blade was stopped by a shield of ice growing over his chest, much to her shock. She looked at Gray's face, only to meet his furious, alive eyes. He grabbed the woman's right hand and pulled her towards him, only to smash her face with his right hand, his fist covered in an ice glove. Blood spilled onto the floor from Jolene's cut lip, her head thrown to the side. Fury taking over her mind, she brought it back up only to be punched once again, this time in the gut. Gray repeatedly struck the female in every vital point he could remember, from her temple to her liver. In response, the woman repeatedly tried to stab him, her blade never getting as far as she'd want to because his ice shields that grew out from beneath his skin, as she left multiple shallow stab wounds all over his body.

"Enough!" yelled Jolene, overtaken with dull pain, blood dripping from her forehead and cut lip. Deciding that playtime was over, she summoned a katana and successfully pierced Gray's right side, the tip of her blade sticking out on the other side. Gray coughed up blood, as Jolene pushed the blade further and further, causing the man to scream in agony, as he released his iron grip on her hand.

"You deserve much more than that for what you did to me." she whispered with a sadistic, furious grin on her face, as she twisted her weapon to the side, making Gray suffer even more.

Suddenly, he grabbed her left hand, locking it in a grip even stronger than before, effectively stopping the katana's movements. Jolene tried to pull it out, but the blade did not budge even a millimeter.

"What I did to you?!" he growled. All pent up emotions he's been feeling this day reached their boiling point. Everything he heard and seen resurfaced with full strength. He lifted his head up to meet her eyes, his wide and furious. "You've been killing people for years. You've enjoyed cruelty for years. You have no regard to human life, to you, it's amusing when someone suffers, when they're crying in pain! And yet you dare to get worked up when something bad happens to you?! You guys aren't even human anymore!"

"Aren't you getting carried away?" she retorted, her voice losing its mocking tone. "We're punishing those who have wronged us. It's because of them we ended up in a place like this! None of us has received love, compassion, kindness! We were left to die before Master Silva found us! He gave us purpose, he gave us hope! This world is cruel, and we are its saviors! We are the ones who're doing what's right! We're purging this world from its filth, and tonight, we will pass it on to its rightful owner!"

"You're simple murderers!" yelled Gray. "You're psychopaths with too much power who killed thousands of innocent people! It's because of people like you Natsu and Erza's happiness was taken away from them!"

"Silence!" screeched Jolene. She punched Gray with her right hand. "What could someone like you know anything about us?! You've never experienced loss, what could you possibly know?"

Gray answered with a punch of his own, his left fist smashing into the woman's right cheekbone. He then reached out and grabbed her other hand, rendering both her and himself unable to use their arms.

"A big fucking deal." he responded. "I don't care who you are, or what your story is. All I care about is today. You blew up innocent people before my eyes, for that I will stop you."

Jolene spat out some blood and looked at Gray with fury in her eyes.

"Your Requipping may be fast, but all you can muster are weak, pathetic weapons made out of scrap. When it comes to your magic, Erza is so high above you you can't even hope to lick her boots." he mocked her.

"And yet here we are, you on the verge of death and me with minor injuries." retorted the woman.

"Both of our conditions are about to worsen." smirked Gray through the pain.

"Are you planning to bring me down with you?" she hissed.

Jolene heard something breaking behind him. Gray smirked at the sound, his lips curving in a sinister grin. "Correct."

Jolene watched in shock as Gajeel growled through his teeth and pulled out the spear out of his leg. He then stood up, panting heavily.

"You sure about this?" he asked Gray.

"Do it."

Jolene felt terror grasping her chest. She tried to free her arms, only to feel Gray's grip tightening on her wrists. With no other way to free herself, she decided to kick Gray under his chin. Her plan failed before it even began, as Gray smashed his feet into hers, nailing it into the floor.

"We've been through this a week ago. Getting your ass kicked can be a good lesson." said Gray. "Next time, make sure you Requip actual weapons, rather than toothpicks."

Gajeel inhaled as much air as possible, his chest and cheeks puffed out.

IRON DRAGON'S ROAR!

A tornado filled with shards of iron swallowed Gray and Jolene, bits of the metal planting themselves into the floor. Gajeel kept his attack for good couple seconds before dispelling it in worry of his comrade. The Roar ended with a cloud of smoke erupting in the place where the pair stood. A figure fell out of the smoke, which revealed to be Gray. He had multiple cuts all over his body, but other than that, he was fine. He dropped to his knees and panted, his entire body stinging and itching.

"You retard. I was the one supposed to take the hit." grumbled Gajeel, as he walked up to the Maker and extended his hand in his direction.

"You'd die if I hit you." wheezed out Gray, before grabbing the hand and allowing Gajeel to pull him up. Despite his entire body aching like never before, he had no problem staying on his feet.

"Let's hurry, we can still catch up to the-"

"The reason I use simple weapons is quite simple, really."

Fairy Tail mages felt their eyes widen in shock. They both turned around so fast their necks hurt.

"The more complex the item you summon, the more magic power you waste. By summoning a hundred iron swords I use less magic that your precious Titania uses to Requip an enchanted breastplate."

Jolene walked out of the dust. Her suit was cut in various places, her naked right breast falling out for the entire world to see. She had multiple cuts all over her body, but other than that, there was no threat to her life. Her face expressed silent fury, but it remained rather stoic. She ripped her right pantleg off and turned it into a rag, which she used to wrap around her chest.

"If you wish to see one of my real weapons, be my guests."

Jolene's magic power increased rapidly, gravity on the floor increasing. A magic circle came out of her right hand, with a red sword appearing in her palm. It was much different than the weapons she had previously used. Its crossguard was in the shape of a scorched skull, the edge of the blade yellow and smoking, with the rest of the blade being scarlet red, except the handle, which was black. It highly resembled weapons used by Erza.

"I just remembered I have not introduced myself yet." she whispered. The tip of her blade touched the ground, immediately burning a hole in it.

"5th Commandment: The Arsenal. Make sure you remember it."

Tower of Heaven, First Floor

Dryden rolled on the ground for what seemed to be a third time in the last 5 minutes. He was downed by yet another of Mirajane's punches, which irritated the woman.

"Are you messing around with me, bastard?" she growled.

Dryden stood up and wiped his chin with his sleeve. Despite not using his magic and resolving only to physical attacks, there was barely any scratch on his body. His expression resembled that of an interested child, eager to test the limits of their new toy.

"Don't be so mad, my darling." he replied. "I'm just measuring your value."

Mirajane did not respond.

"When I saw your Satan Soul, I was delighted. To finally meet one of my kind with this much power - marvelous! All I had to do was test whether you are worthy of holding this much strength. And you passed!" he exclaimed and extended his arms to his sides to showcase his joy. "I can finally go all out without fearing to break someone in a minute!"

"The hell are you talking about?" frowned disguisted Mira.

Dryden smirked in response. "You'll see soon enough."

All of a sudden, his figure was surrounded by blue light, his magic power increasing. His face twisted in a terrifying smile, the light wrapping itself around his body, causing the Demon to squint and cover her eyes.

After what seemed to be a minute, the light started to weaken, revealing everything hidden behind it, making Mira's eyes widen in fear and disbelief.

Dryden's face was entirely covered, his eyes being the only visible parts of his face, giant horns growing out of his forehead, which were slightly pointed to the back of his head. His mouth was covered by a giant set of clenched, sharp white teeth. His torso and limbs were tightly secured under plated, blue armor, with blades growing out of each of his elbows. His hands and feet have grown in size, their fingers and toes longer as well, with ferocious claws and talons at the end of them. Behind his back spread a giant pair of wings, their joints light blue and the skin in-between each joint white in color. His tail smashed into the floor with enough force to completely shatter it, the trident shaped tip of his tail stuck in the wooden surface. No matter how much she denied it, he looked almost like a...

TAKEOVER: DRAGON SOUL

Dryden exclaimed the name of his form and flapped his wings, creating powerful currents of wind in Mira's direction, which made her slide on the floor, pushing back a meter or two. She lowered her guard and continued to gaze at the man's form in awe.

"This is impossible..." she breathed.

"Thanks to Master Silva's wisdom and guidance, I was able to acquire remains of the soul of a Crystal Dragon and successfully mold them into this form." explained the Commandment. He flapped his wings and raised himself in the air, hovering in his spot mere centimeters above the ground. "Although this is only the shadow of its former greatness, back when it belonged to its original master, this form is powerful enough to make Master Silva entrust me with the title of 4th Commandment: The Armor. Dragons are, after all, the superior beings in this world."

Mira gulped. His magic power was enough of a proof to make her realise she was up against one hell of an opponent. His armor looked not only sinister, but tough as well. That would explain his unnatural durability, even when not wearing it.

Dryden spread his arms and landed on the floor. "Now then, Mirajane Strauss!" he yelled. "Let the battle between Demon and a Dragon begin!"

To be continued in Chapter 10: Demon vs. Dragon.


	10. Demon vs. Dragon

Mira took a fighting stance, sweat running down her face both from the intensity of Dryden's magic and Natsu's fire, which had already spread all over the nearby area.

With force strong enough to send wind currents so powerful they cracked the walls, both Mirajane and Dryden flapped their wings and rushed at each other, their fists clashing into each other, creating a powerful shockwave in the process. They both remained in the air just above the ground, both of them trying to overpower the other. Mira, feeling dull pain spreading all over her fist grit her teeth and growled from effort, Dryden's hard, heavy figure not budging even an inch. Feeling herself being pushed back, Mira relaxed her shoulder just a bit to let him overpower her and took away her fist at the last moment, dodging the strike in the process. She slipped her head to her right and immediately followed with a left high kick, only to feel it being blocked, as Dryden raised his right forearm just in time to catch the attack. Both wizards looked into each other's eyes before erupting in a vast exchange of kicks, punches and slashes of their claws, their movements becoming a blur.

Dryden's punch flew right above her left ear, his elbow blade lightly scratching the first layer of her skin. Memorizing what she witnessed few minutes ago, she copied Salamander's move and struck Dryden with the exact same blow right under his chin, her uppercut's swing creating wind that spread all around the area. However, unlike Natsu, she was unable to blow Dryden's head away, his powerful armor killing the impact. Mira grit her teeth in pain and jumped back, her right hand numb and shaking.

Not giving her too much time to rest, The Armor stretched his wings and dashed towards Mira, suprising the Demon. He slashed at her face with his right hand, forcing her to sidestep to her left. Just before she could complete her dodge, Dryden turned his hand around by 180 degrees and swiped his arm to his right, effectively catching Mira's cheek with his middle claw. Few drops of blood flowed down her face from her new cut, greatly angering the woman. She quickly stepped in and kicked Dryden's middle section with her right leg, pushing him back in the process. She extended her hands in front of her chest, a giant, dark-blue vortex forming in her palms and launched a follow-up attack.

EVIL EXPLOSION!

The vortex launched out of her hands and crashed into shocked Dryden, clearly suprising him with its speed. A giant explosion shook the entire floor, pieces of the ground flying in all directions. Mira breathed out heavily and steadied her breathing, waiting for the results of her attack in anticipation.

Suddenly, she felt dull pain taking over her stomach, as Dryden drove his right feet deep into her abdomen, blowing her back in the process. Blood streaming down the corners of her mouth, Mira spread her wings as wide as she could and used them to halt herself. She looked at Dryden, only to feel her eyes widen in shock at his unscathed state. His armor was dirtied, but that was all - not even a single scratch. Clicking her tongue in irritation she wiped the blood off her mouth with her thumb and put up a guard once again.

"Was that your strongest attack?" asked Dryden, a note of disappointment in his voice, which angered the Demon.

"A warning shot." she shot back.

"That's very good to hear." he grinned behind his set of teeth and dashed at Mira, with the woman parroting him a moment later.

Both mages crashed into each other, their forearms clashing. Mira used the moment to smack Dryden's arm with hers and smacked it aside, following through with a right straight afterwards. The punch connected with his jaw, rendered completely uneffective. He pushed her arm aside with his left hand and answered with a right straight of his own, only to have Mira duck right under it. Her knees bent, she closed the distance and wrapped her arms around Dryden's waist and left arm, leaving him with just his right hand free from her grip and lifted him off the ground, flying him towards the ceiling. Just before she reached it, she stopped and turned in the air, aiming her and Dryden's heads towards the ground and diving into it at mad speed.

"You're creative, I'll give you that." he taunted before being released from Mirajane's deathlock. He crashed into the ground, causing it to crumble around the place he fell in.

Just before the dust could settle, he flew right out of it, dashing at Mira at full speed. He planted his fist deep into her abdomen, causing her to buckle over in agony and leaned over towards her ear.

"Any more clever ideas?" he whispered. Before she could retort, he raised his arms up, joined his hands above his head and brought them down like a hammer, crashing them into Mira's back.

The Demon crashed into the very same spot Dryden was thrown into, causing the floor to collapse under her weight. Air leaving her lungs, she gasped in pain, her entire lower area burning and aching.

"That armor of his...it's too strong." she thought. "I doubt I'll be able to break it even with stronger attacks."

Mira stood up from the ground and took couple deep breaths, strength returning to her body. She looked at Dryden with hateful eyes, but kept her head coolheaded enough to think the situation through. "If this thing really is an armor, then it's not that different from Erza's armors. Unlike me, he does not gain features of the crratures he's subdued, his TakeOver relies solely around this stupid armor, otherwise he would have used some dragon attacks by now. If it's just an armor, then...". Mira's eyes squinted as she looked at Dryden's arms - his elbow blades were certainly a problem, and had to be dealt with.

Focused on the first step of her plan, Mira took a deep breath and took off the ground, slowly raising herself higher in the air. Natsu's fire was slowly taking over the entire floor, with Gray's elevator being the only place safe from the scorching flames. An all-out aerial battle was inevitable.

"I'm enjoying this battle more and more with each second." smirked Dryden and threw himself at Mira, who responded by doing the same.

"I have only one shot at this. If I fail, he'll figure out what I'm up to. I have to focus and wait for the perfect chance!" thought Mira, before blocking Dryden's kick with her right arm.

She pushed his leg away and unleashed a barrage of punches onto his body, forcing him to defend himself. Despite the hardness of his armor, he still protected himself as if his skin was bare and vulnerable. His fighting instincts were sharp and battle hardened, not seduced by his apparent invulnerability.

Dryden caught Mira's right hand with his own right in the middle of the strike and pushed it in his direction, throwing a right kick at the same time. The kick connected with Mira's left hand, which she put on her stomach at the last moment, killing some of the impact. They remained in this awkward position before releasing each other from their grips and engaging in yet another exchange of punches and kicks, neither giving up.

Mira's limbs were slowly starting to get overtaken by dull pain, caused from repeated strikes on the Commandment's hard armor. Feeling that she could no longer keep this game up, Mira lowered her guard and allowed Dryden to quickly close the distance. His right straight flew right beside her ear, as she headslipped to her left. He followed with a left hook, which she ducked under and using her wings, flew away from him. He quickly caught on with her and threw another set of strikes, all of them missing their target.

Mira was completely on defense, dancing in the air and dodging each and every single one of Dryden's attacks, which greatly irritated the man. He threw yet another right straight, only to have Mira slip away to her left once again.

"Watch closely." she reminded herself in thoughts, leaning her body backwards to avoid a right roundhouse. "Wait for your chance. Don't miss it!"

Suddenly, a wave of pain spread all over her right cheekbone, as Dryden successfully feinted a right straight, followed by a compact left hook. Mira felt her body being pushed away, but quickly regained her position and continued to dodge his strikes.

Losing his temper, Dryden growled and threw a barrage of punches at Mira, all of them losing their previous sharpness. His anger dulled his reasoning, which opened the golden door to Mira's plan. She ducked right under his overhand right and stepped to her left. She quickly got a hold of his elbow blade with her left hand and securing him in place, delivered a powerful right kick to his left cheek, at the same time twisting the blade downwards.

The part of Dryden's armor broke, as it stayed in Mirajane's hand, while its owner was sent flying. Not wasting even a second, Mira threw the blade aside and dived after Dryden. Anticipating it, he came to a halt just before hitting the ground and prepared for the Demon's attack. He dodged her strike and kneed her in the chest, making her gasp for air. He then grabbed her hair and pulled her head back, delivering a right uppecut into her stomach afterwards. Gasping and wheezing for air, Mira buckled over and dropped to her knees. Dryden pulled his right leg back and kicked Mira in the ribs, making her roll on the ground. He quickly chased after her and followed through with a right straight, only to feel Mira's foot on his nose, as she retaliated with a kick. His fist stopped just before her twisted with pain, smirking face. She grabbed a hold of Dryden's dragon-like hand and twisted her hips. She threw both of her legs over his head and put his elbow in-between her inner thighs, pushing down a second after.

Mirajane secured Dryden in a tight armbar, as she smashed him into the ground with enough force to crack it, immediately pushing her hips upwards. As she expected, Dryden's elbow was covered with a thin layer of skin-looking material, which started to easily crack under her pressure.

"It's working!" she chanted to herself. "First his arm, then his legs!" With that said, she pushed her hips to their absolute limits, her calves beginning to cramp. Dryden's armor cracked under her power, pieces of blue crystal flying in the air.

"You really are creative." muttered Dryden, his voice a mix of pain and ironic amusement.

Suddenly, Mira felt her grip loosening, as Dryden started to pull his arm out of her hands with the strength of his shoulder and right breast alone. Her eyes widened in shock for a moment, before gritting her teeth and pulling back, turning her arm-lock into a power struggle. Feeling himself being overpowered, Dryden started to twist his body to his right, effectively laying down on his side, fighting Mira's attempts at keeping him under herself in the process. He then twisted even more to allow himself to put his left knee on the ground and pulled his right leg back, his right knee touching the ground as well. His teeth clenching themselves in pain from the angle his hand was twisted in, he quickly walked on his knees towards Mira and got into kneeling position, leaning towards her and bending his elbow in the process, which loosened the pressure on his already sore joint. With this position secured, he breathed in relief, pain already leaving him, as Mira desperately tried to break his hand.

Seeing that it was pointless, Mira released Dryden's head from her legs and quickly changed their position, switching from an armbar to a triangle. She squeezed him with her legs as hard as she could and grabbed his sticking right arm, pulling it down and starting to break it once again. Fed up with the woman's holds, Dryden put his feet on the ground and straightened his back, with Mira still wrapped around his torso. He lifted her as high as he could, before using the momentum to pull him back towards the ground, as he intended to smash Mira into the ground. She anticipated it, however, and released her grip at the last second, her feet landing safely on the ground. She landed one final punch on the Commandment's face before backstepping away from him.

The Armor breathed out heavily and moved his arm around, getting the pain out of his sore joint. "I don't know whether I should be impressed that you've managed to break my armor, or be furious." he said, his voice losing its previous playfullness. "I think I'll go with furious."

In one, swift movement he dashed at Mira at speed she hasn't seen before and kicked her in the gut, causing her to cough up blood. He quickly followed with a left hook to her temple and right roundhouse in the same spot, effectively sending her rocked figure flying. Barely hanging onto consciousness, Mira used her left hand to launch herself off the ground and flipped in the air, before landing on all fours. She kicked the ground as hard as she could and flew straight into Dryden, suprising him with her speed. He blocked her punch with his right forearm, the shockwave waking up his aching elbow. He angrily brushed Mira's hand aside and kicked her in her right side, only to have it blocked by her right hand. She brushed his leg away and put her hands in front of his face.

EVIL EXPLOSION!

Another explosion hit him, this time point blank. Although it didn't damage his armor, the impact sent him flying backwards. Dust and smoke filled the entire floor, Natsu's fire already catching the walls in it, the entire floor slowly beginning to burn down. Dryden tensed his senses and searched for Mirajane, anticipating a sneak attack from the Demon. Unknowingly to him, she was already behind him, her hands held behind her back with a giant orb of energy forming in-between them. When he finally noticed, it was too late, as Mirajane unleashed her attack on his defenseless figure.

SOUL EXTINCTOR!

Dryden's dragon-like form was completely swallowed by a large black-purple beam, as it cleared out the dust and a good portion of the flames. The attack flew through the entire floor and crashed straight through a wall, flying towards the ocean.

Panting heavily, Mira lowered her arms, her exhaustion slowly catching up to her. Blood flowed down her face from her head wound, multiple bruises on her body, her hands numb and shaky from repeatedly hitting Dryden's hard armor. With her vision still blurry after being hit in the temple, Mira squinted her eyes and carefully watched the spot where Dryden was. Finally, after a good minute the dust settled and the sight shocked and terrified Mira right to the core.

Dryden's body was covered by his left wing. It was burned and seemingly broken, with pieces of its skin missing and hanging from their original spot, his joints twisted and disfigured, however other than that, he was uninjured. He slowly put his wounded wing aside and stared at Mirajane, his eyes wide and furious.

"This is the first time someone has injured me this far." he whispered, his voice full of anger. "I'm impressed."

Mira grit her teeth and put up a guard once again, her breath unsteady and body heavy.

"Damn monster." she growled to herself, before bracing herself for Dryden's charge.

Tower of Heaven, Second Floor

Gajeel grunted in pain and clutched his wounded shoulder, a giant, already cauterized cut spread all over its length, up to his left breast.

"Stop treatin' me like a kid! Let me fight!" he roared at Gray, who was standing right in front of him.

The Maker clicked his tongue in annoyance and kicked the ground with his right leg, a giant chain of ice spikes growing in front of it and heading in Jolene's direction. The woman jumped over them and Requipped a shield underneath her feet to launch herself at both males. Anticipating it, Gray punched his open palm, a wall of ice growing in front of him. Jolene slashed at the wall and cut right through it, melted ice falling onto the ground. As soon as her feet touched the ground she dashed at Gray, who threw several ice spears in her direction in response. Having no means of dodging them, Jolene blocked them with her swords, as they melted a short moment after coming in contact with the blade.

"You can't even stand! Shut the hell up and stay here!" yelled Gray in response, before molding yet another set of spears. "Support me if you're so eager to fight!"

Gajeel growled in anger. Gray was right, he couldn't stand on his wounded leg, even with Gray's first aid in form of ice put over the wound. He looked at the Maker, his teeth clenching even more. He was in no better situation, forced to stay in one place and unable to move like he used to. Blood flowed down Gray's pants from his stomach stab wounds, a small pool of blood forming by his feet. Jolene, on the other hand, although weaker and slower than before, was rather fine when compared to them and continuously blocked every single one of their attempts of taking her down. Her blade was a perfect counter to Gray's ice - its edge was hot enough to burn through literally anything. Wounds inflicted by this blade did not shed blood, instead, they cauterized them immediately, greatly increasing the pain in the process. No matter how Gajeel looked at this situation, they were in deep shit.

Gray slipped his head to his left in panic, one of Jolene's iron spears flying right by his ear. The woman used this moment to close the distance and thrust her blade at Gray, who managed to block it with an ice barrier. The ice immediately started to melt, with The Arsenal pushing it closer and closer towards his heart.

Sick and tired of being protected, Gajeel stood up on his only healthy leg and, much to her suprise, punched Jolene right in the jaw with his Hard Fist. Jolene's head flew to the side, the grip on her blade loosening. Using this golden opportunity, Gray molded an ice warhammer and struck the woman right in her ribcage, causing her to cough up blood.

Jolene's body was blown back, as she struggled to regain her position in the air. She landed on her back and quickly flipped back, sliding on the ground on her knees. Gray quickly walked around his barrier and grabbed the woman's sword by the handle, locking it in place. Gajeel limped from the other side and crashed his fist into its blade, both men successfully breaking the weapon.

"One pain in the ass less." said Gajeel, as Gray threw the broken sword aside.

"Don't be too happy, she probably has twenty more." reminded grimly Gray.

Jolene stared at Fairy Tail mages with pure hatred in her eyes. She stood up from her spot and wiped her mouth with her sleeve, at the same time extending the other one to the side. Bright, familiar energy formed around her hand, as it began to take a shape.

"Gimme a break." sighed Gajeel and took a fighting stance, best to his ability.

The light has finally taken a shape, a black katana forming in Jolene's hand. Its blade, guard and handle were pure black, with white bandages wrapped over the handle, a quite lengthy strap of said bandages extending past the handle, as it hanged off the sword.

"Seems like I'm still too slow." she muttered to herself, Gajeel briefly her words.

"She's up to something. Don't take your eyes off of her." he said to Gray, who simply nodded in response.

Suddenly, Jolene disappeared. Gajeel's eyes widened in shock, his senses confused. She did not run, jump or even dash - she simply vanished in thin air. Then, his ears picked up the sound of a blade being raised behind him and quickly turned around, blocking Jolene's strike with his iron club.

The woman was already behind them, her attack intended for Gray interrupted by Gajeel. Gray turned around, just as shocked as Gajeel and punched his palm, despair grabbing his heart.

ICE MAKE: TOWER!

A tower of ice grew from beneath Jolene, as it took the woman upwards and smashed into the ceiling, seemingly crushing the woman. Gray panted and relaxed his hands, his eyss glued to the ceiling.

"Looking for someone?"

His eyes widened in horror, as he turned around, only to find Jolene slashing at his head from behind him. He leaned back at the last second, her blade brefly catching his forehead, as it left a small cut over his left eye. Jolene stepped in to finish her job, only to be forced to block Gajeel's club, aimed at her solar plexus. She brushed it off and jumped back, creating distance between herself and her opponents. Just before her feet touched the ground, she vanished again.

Not even a second after that, Gajeel felt stinging, terrible pain spreading over his back. Jolene was already behind him and slashed his scaled back, her blade cutting through the metal and cutting his skin. The scales greatly killed the impact, however the cut was still serious. The Dragon Slayer feel to his knees, breathing heavily. Jolene raised her sword above her head, intending on stabbing Gajeel, but Gray quickly rushed in and blocked the attack with his ice sword. He pushed it away and slashed at Jolene, forcing her to defend herself, much to her shock.

An exchange of slashes erupted between the mages, both of them showing great skills in swordsmanship. Grateful to Erza for training him in swordfighting, Gray blocked Jolene's slash with one hand and molded a new blade in his other one, as he struck horizontally at the woman. She jumped over it and kicked at his head, only to have it blocked by his blades. Gray slid on the floor on his feet and grimaced, his wounds letting him know off their presence.

Jolene vanished from his sight yet again, but this time, he remained calm.

"This sword does not increase her speed." he thought. "Her attack speed has not increased, in fact, it's much slower than before. If I tried to use swords against her earlier, she'd have killed me in a matter of seconds, but now, I actually have a chance. If her overall speed has not increased, and yet she can disappear in thin air, there's only one answer..."

He quickly looked up and backstepped away from Jolene, who attacked him from above. As soon as his feet touched the ground he stepped in and clashed his blades with the woman.

"Teleportation." he said, smirking at the woman. "This sword allows you to teleport, with an interval in-between each jump, doesn't it?"

Jolene scowled at him. "Do you want a reward for figuring out something this simple?"

The ice mage smirked back in response and pushed harder, effectively gaining the upper hand on the woman. She grit her teeth in fury and pushed as hard as she could, brushing Gray off of her. She quickly followed through with a kick to his abdomen, making him cough up blood. Gray fell onto his back and slid on the ground, his blades falling out of his grip. Jolene ran after him and jumped in the air, landing on top of him. She raised her right leg and crashed her foot into his wound, her heel slowly entering it*.

Gray's screams of agony echoed throughout the floor, as he desperately locked his grip onto her ankle and tried to shake her off. Jolene stared at his squirming figure with a sadistic smile growing on her face and her eyes expressing pure lust, as she listened to his pained cries in pure delight and pleasure.

"You look so cute right now." she breathed out as he continued to yell and raised her blade up. "I almost regret having to kill you."

The Commandment brought her blade down, only to have it blocked by Gajeel's iron sword. Clenching her teeth in irritation, she switched her target and pushed his blade away, before slashing at him. Wobbly on his feet, Gajeel grit his teeth from pain and sidestepped, dodging the attack. He followed through with a slash of his own, only to hit nothing but thin air. Using his senses to their maximum, he pinpointed her new position and put his arm on his back, blocking Jolene's thrust. He turned his left hand into an iron club and backfisted at the woman, successfully hitting her in the cheek. Blood spilled onto the floor from her freshly cut mouth, as she lost balance and was forced to take couple awkward steps to remain on her feet.

Dragging his leg behind him, Gajeel rushed after her and pulled his arm back, ready to strike her yet again, only to feel dull pain in his lower area, as Jolene kicked him just above the crotch. He buckled over and allowed Jolene to kick him in his left temple, which sent him to the floor. She gently walked up to him and raised her blade up, only to feel her head being blown back, with Gajeel kicking his right under her chin with his healthy leg. The kick rocked her harder than she anticipated, the grip on her weapon loosening against her will. Before the blade fell to the ground, Gajeel grabbed it and punched the woman in her left side, her ribs slightly cracking under the weight of his iron fist. He then lifted up the sword and broke it on his knee, casting the smaller part with its handle aside. He then ate the remaining part, a small chunk of his magic power coming back. After swallowing the last bit of the metal, he leaned back and puffed his cheeks out.

IRON DRAGON'S ROAR!

Jolene's figure was once again swallowed by a whirlpool of iron blades and shards. Although weaker, the attack was still powerful enough to reach the wall of the floor and greatly crack it.

His lungs getting empty, Gajeel stopped his attack and panted heavily, regaining his breath. He listened to the woman's movements, expecting her to rush out of the cloud at any moment. He was right to do so, as couple seconds later she dashed out of the dust unharmed, a giant shield in front of her. She charged at Gajeel and crashed into him at full speed, sending him flying. Gritting his teeth in pain, the Dragon Slayer shifted his right hand into a club and extended it towards the ground, stopping himself from falling. He looked at Jolene who was already in front of him, a new blade in her hands. Seeing no other way, Gajeel put up his left arm and felt the blade pierce right through his iron scales, as it came out on the other side of his forearm. He screamed out in pain, with The Arsenal pushing the blade with all her remaining strength. Seeing that it won't stop there, he quickly grabbed the blade with his remaining hand, stopping it right in front of his eye. This stopped Jolene's advance and left both wizards in a power struggle, both of them straining each other past their limits.

"How the hell can you even move?!" she growled in annoyance.

"You're simply too weak to take me down, that's all." he smirked through pain, his body at its limit. "No wonder Salamander took one of you down already, you ain't worth shit."

At the mention of Grigol, Jolene's face twisted in pure fury, which in turn greatly increased her strength, as she began to overpower Gajeel. The tip of her blade was now slowly impaling itself into his face, as he struggled to keep it away from himself, his face still grinning. In quick session he picked the perfect moment to counterattack and let go of the blade, as it slid off his left cheek, leaving a long scratch on his iron scales. He quickly put his hand on hip level and struck the sword with an uppercut, breaking it in the process. He used Jolene's shock as a chance and delivered one final kick to her abdomen, before succumbing to exhaustion and blood loss, as he fell to his knees, his iron scales dispelling.

Unfortunately for the Dragon Slayer, the woman stayed on her feet and was now Requipping yet another sword, running towards him at the same time. Just when she was about to cut his head off, Gajeel's life was saved by an icicle sent by Gray, who was back on his feet, his face twisted in determination and anger. He punched his palm and send another set of icicles in her direction, making her to deflect them one by one. Cursing the man in her mind, Jolene deflected one final piece of ice, before dashing at Gajeel once again, only to find that he was no longer there, but instead in front of her, with his fist pulled all the way back.

IRON DRAGON'S CLUB!

Jolene's face was bashed in, her nose and lips leaving rivers of blood in the air, as she began to fall onto her back. Hanging onto her consciousness with great difficulty, she grit her teeth and pulled herself back, only to find Gray and Gajeel right in front of her, both of them reading their attacks.

ICE MAKE: GAUNTLET!

IRON DRAGON'S HARD FIST!

Both men drove their fists into the womans stomach, leaving her gasping for air. She bent over and slid on the ground on her feet, saliva flowing onto the floor from her open mouth. Not giving her any chances, Gray roared and punched his open palm, using a vast portion of his remaining magic power to finish off the woman.

ICE MAKE: GUNGNIR!

A giant lance of ice grew out from the ground beneath Jolene and smashed her into the ceiling, breaking it in the process. The woman's limp figure fell to the ground, vanishing in dust. Not finished with her just yet, Gray and Gajeel prepared their final attacks.

ICE MAKE: BAZOOKA!

IRON DRAGON'S ROAR!

A ball of ice and a whirlpool of iron made their way where Jolene fell, a big explosion of said elements erupting in hit place, shards of ice and iron flying in all directions. Panting heavily, both men released their magics and finally relaxed their tense bodies.

"She has to be down by now." wheezed out Gray. "She just has to."

Gajeel did not respond and stabbed the ground with his sword, stopping himself from falling to the ground.

"Can you walk?" asked him Gray, as he watched his friend struggle to stay on his feet.

Gajeel looked at him for moment, before sighing tiredly. "No. Gimme a moment, I have to-"

Gajeel's body was thrust forward, as something flew right through his right shoulder, leaving a big hole in his body. Gray watched in terror as Gajeel slowly shifted his head to take a look at his wound, before coughing up a large amount of blood and falling onto his face like a ragdoll.

"Gajeel!" cried out Gray, his voice full of horror and despair. He quickly looked in the attack's direction and felt fear grab every fiber of his being.

There stood Jolene, her body covered in blood and ice, a giant, as big as her black bow in her grip. Behind her were three enormous, stuck in the ground and battered in shields she most likely used to protect herself with from their last attacks. Her breathing was raspy and uneven, her eyes misty, as she reached out for another arrow, ready to defeat her last remaining opponent with it.

Seeing no other choice, Gray grabbed Gajeel as quickly as he could and lifted him off the ground, securing his arm over his neck. In the corner of his eye he saw Jolene knock her bow and punched his hand one more time, growing a wall of ice before him, separating himself from the woman.

The arrow completely decimated the wall, as it flew right through the solid water and flew out of the tower after hitting the nearby wall. The ice began to crack and few seconds later the wall broke, revealing that Gray and Gajeel were nowhere to be found, with the nearest window being broken into pieces.

Jolene breathed out heavily and slowly walked up to the window, only to witness an already crumbling staircase made out of ice, several trails of blood smeared on top of it..

She smirked at the sight and dispelled her bow, before limping away from the window.

Both Fairy Tail mages ran away from their opponent, exhausted and injured way past their limit, as Gray dragged unconscious Gajeel towards Christina. Gritting his teeth in effort, he put his hand on top of his friend's fresh wound and gently cooled it down with his magic. Emotions taking over him, Gray cried to himself in frustration, his pride and ambitions taking yet another hurtful hit.

"I'm sorry." he muttered, not sure to whom exactly.

Tower of Heaven, Third Floor

Erza kicked her last opponent, throwing him onto the nearby wall. She let out a small breath and looked around, seeing that her comrades have taken care of their opponents as well.

Upon getting further into the floor, they were ambushed by subordinates of Seven Commandments, who this time were not slaves, but Dark Mages. Taking this information with relief, the group was much more efficient in defeating the aggressors, as they now successfully made their way through the rest of the floor. However, despite overcoming thjis obstacle, Erza was not happy about it, as she dreaded setting her foot in the upper floor.

After couple minutes of running they took the last corner and the entrance to Fourth Floor was fully visible. Clenching her fists and her steps heavier, Erza ran up the last steps and entered the floor.

She was met with the familiar sight of Fourth Floor, other known as The Prison.

Unlike other levels, which were consisted of several rooms, corridors and halls, this one was an open one, its entirety seen just upon entrance. It was the highest floor out of all of them, standing at terrifying 30 meters tall from the ground to the ceiling. In the middle of the floor was a giant mining area, with cells spreading all over the floor from few meters away from the ground up to the ceiling. The previously enormous giant mountain of materials the tower was built with was now gone, replaced with an even terrain, covered with broken and used tools, some of them bloodied.

Seeing that Erza was not contacting, Laxus looked all over the area and sniffed, Natsu smelling the air right beside him as well.

"They're here." said the pinkette, with Laxus nodding in approval.

"You think it's another trap?" he asked.

Natsu slowly shook his head. "I don't think so. They don't care whether we save these people or not, all they want is me. Those guys below were used to kill you. They probably didn't think we'd get this far."

Seeing her friend's distress, Lucy walked up to Erza and put her hand on the knight's shoulder. "You ok?" she asked.

Erza closed her eyes and breathed out through her nose. "Yes." she said, before turning her head to meet Lucy's. "Let's get these people out of here."

"No." said Lucy, suprising the knight.

"What do you mean, no?" she asked.

"Me and Juvia will take care of this. You three head upstairs and defeat their Master."

Erza's eyes squinted. Originally this is where she'd planned on leaving them, however, she couldn't help but feel the hunch that this was a trap. Up until now, they have encountered three Commandments. with three remaining and one of them hiding. They were in the very middle of the tower, with three floors left. A chance that one of them was hiding in here was very high, way too high to leave both of them alone in here.

"We don't have time." said Laxus, irritating the knight. "Our priority is taking down that brainwashing bastard, and so far we haven't seen him. The enemy is smart, they're probably keeping him at the very top. We can't save those people and then head on to beat that guy. We have to split up."

Erza bit her lip. She couldn't help but admit Laxus was right. Still, she was hesitant to go with his idea.

"Arthur is not here."

Natsu's voice shook her out of her trance. She looked at him, slightly confused.

"That old man from first floor." continued Natsu. "He's the most loyal Commandment. He's probably right beside Silva by now. Ain't no way he's on this floor. Same with Luppi. Silva is probably keeping him on a leash. The last one is also not here, trust me, he'd let us know if he was."

Erza continued to stare at the pinkette. His words did calm her down, even if only a little. He spent a long time with those people, he knew them the best.

"Very well." she sighed. "We will head on ahead, while you two rescue everyone on this floor. Take them to the floor below and use the window right next to the staircase. You can use your magics to safely get them down. Go to the ship along with them and stay there until we come back, are we clear?"

Lucy and Juvia nodded before running up the stairs. Erza exhaled through her nose and looked at her remaining two companions.

"Let's go." she said and led them through the floor, as they followed her.

Lucy quickly ran up to the first cell and grabbed the bars, peeking inside. She noticed three starved children, two boys and a girl no older than Wendy sitting in the back corner, all of them hugging each other in fear. The sight broke the blonde's heart, as she quickly summoned Cancer and used him to cut through the lock with Juvia breaking into the neighboring cell.

Lucy entered the cell and slowly walked up to the children, who whimpered at the sight of her, tightly clutching themselves.

The blonde gulped and felt her eyes sting. "It's alright." she said. "I won't hurt you. Look."

She gently lifted her right hand and showed her guild mark to the children. "I'm from Fairy Tail. I'm here to help."

The oldest boy stood up and slowly walked up to the woman, carefully putting his feet down. He inspected the guildmark, checking its authenticity. Lucy smiled even wider and whispered in soft tone. "I promise. I'm not here to hurt you."

The boy's eyes softened, as he quickly ran up to the blonde and hugged her, the rest of the kids following him. She felt her eyes widen in shock, but she wrapped her arms around the children and hugged them back, feeling their skinny bodies with her palms, their sticking out bones slightly hurting her chest. She felt tears flow down her face, but did not succumb to her anger.

"Let's get you out of here." she whispered, before standing up and grabbing their hands, leading them out of their prison.

They walked out of the cell and met up with Juvia, who was currently holding a small girl in her arms, as she slept from exhaustion in the rainwoman's grip. Juvia sent Lucy an understanding and burning look, as the blonde slowly nodded with a similar stare of her own. They knew it beforehand, but this sight confirmed their feelings entirely.

Seven Commandments were not human.

Tower of Heaven, First Floor

Mira locked yet another of Dryden's punches, feeling her body slowly give out. Each punch was taking a bigger toll on her, his superior durability allowing him to overpower the Demon. She threw a right high kick aimed at his head, only to have it blocked midway through and swatted away like a fly, followed by his counter attack in form of a right body blow, hitting right into her bruised stomach.

The amount of body blows she'd received in this fight was unimaginable, her entire abdomen slowly taking the color of light purple. The white-haired mage was blown back once again, her back hitting the wall. She gasped and slid on it to the ground, crashing like a ragdoll.

"I must thank you, Mirajane Strauss." said Dryden, as he watched the woman struggle to stand up. "Despite all the anger you've brought me, I have not enjoyed myself this much in years. You are truly worthy of the title "The Demon". You'd make a fine Commandment."

Mira's eyes widened, anger taking over her mind. "I'd rather die than associate myself with filth like you." she hissed, her voice poisonous. The Armor simply snorted in amusement at her remark.

Mirajane panted heavily, trying to come up with a new strategy. Although all of her previous tactics were successful, the effects were nowhere near what she'd imagined. Her damage was took much more grevious when compared to his. She then noticed the fire slowly catching up to her, which forced her to move away from her position.

"Damn Salamander, he just had to make things harder." she shot at the pinkette in her thoughts. "Why are all Dragon Slayers this obnoxious-"

Like a hammer, Mirajane felt something hitting her mind with enormous force, a crazy idea forming in her head. She quickly looked at the fire and then at her hand, at fire and back at the hand. She clutched her fist and thought it through one more time. After coming to a conclusion that she had no other choice, she stood up and looked over the area in search of a necessary item. Luckily, she found it and quickly ran up to it. She grabbed the remains of a cloak and tear it into a rag. She then wrapped it around her hand like a bandage and looked at Dryden, who continued to stare at her from above.

"It's been fun, but I must eliminate you now. Brace yourself."

With that said, he spread his wings and dived at Mira. The woman clicked her tongue in irritation, not yet ready to go with her plan, but seeing no other choice, she turned around to cover her right hand, clenched her fist and put it into Natsu's fire. The flames quickly caught the cloth on fire, which spread all over Mira's hand. Whimpering in pain, the Demon focused her pain and anger on Dryden and rushed at him, her burning fist pulled back behind her figure. She dodged his charge and flew above him. She pulled her right arm back and struck at his back, only to hit nothing but air. The Armor turned around in the air and kicked Mira in her lower back, making her fly towards the ground. She quickly shook it off and turned around, flying upwards, getting in position above Dryden and retaliating with an overhand right that was dodged once again. The fire started to severely burn her skin, tears of pain forming in her eyes.

"Have you lost your mind?" asked Dryden, utterly confused by the woman's actions. "Are you planning on killing yourself?"

The Demon did not respond with words, but a kick that was swiftly dodged and countered with a left straight to the face. Dryden struck Mirajane once again, this time with his right hand and kicked her right shoulder with his left leg. He was overpowering the woman in every aspect, rendering her efforts useless. Her right hand was already set in blaze, but even then she fought through pain and tried to strike Dryden. He kicked her away, only to have her charge straight at him once again.

"How unfortunate." he muttered, before dashing as well. He pulled his left arm back and struck at Mira's face, who, to his shock, dodged. She ducked right under his arm and pulled her arm back, ready to strike.

"If you want to hit me that badly, go for it." he thought. "Once it connects, you'll realise how futile and stupid this idea was."

A second after this thought, Dryden felt dull and excruciating pain taking over his left side. Roaring loudly from pain and determination, Mirajane delivered a powerful body blow to his ribs. The punch cracked his armor and sent majority of the impact to The Armor's body that was hidden behind it. Dryden buckled over in agony, confused, scared and shocked. Mira pulled her arm back again and struck once again in the exact same fashion, cracking the blue shell even further. Growling from pain, she finally extinguished the flames, her right hand scorched, its blackened skin peeling off.

"How?!" yelled Dryden in his mind. "How did she-"

Realisation hit him harder than any punch. The fire he thought was useless, the fire he thought was just a desperate, last attempt of his opponent, the fire he forgot about was actually the fire meant to slay dragons. Fire of a Fire Dragon Slayer, who was currently several floors above him.

"No one with a sane mind would think of something like that!" he wheezed out.

Mirajane grinned devilishly through the pain in response. "Fairy Tail wizards are not sane."

The success of her strategy filled the woman with a new found strength. She spread her wings and flew straight into Dryden, driving her fist into his cracked spot, making him feel even more pain.

The Armor grit his teeth, fury taking over his mind. "You bitch!" he roared, before kneeling her in the stomach. He brought his arms up and crashed them into Mira's back. He then followed up with a right uppercut to the face, left hook to the liver and right hook across the temple.

Dryden began to mercilessly beat up Mirajane, his fists making contact with majority of her vital points, not giving her time to react. He delivered one final punch to her gut and kicked her in the face, making her fall to the ground. She crashed into it, with Dryden following her, as he landed right on top of her, both of his legs smashing into her chest and stomach, making her vomit blood. The force of this strike was so great it made them both crash through the floor, making Mirajane fall into the underground level of the tower, which served as sewers. Dryden flapped his wings to stay in the air. He watched his opponent, her limp figure falling into the water, as she began to sink, barely hanging onto consciousness.

"I guess this is it, then..." she thought, as she watched her blood leaving a giant trail in the water. "I think I've done everything I could. Hopefully someone wipes the floor with this guy...in my place..."

Her mind went black for a moment, the previously cold water suddenly getting warm. Just when she was about to pass out, her eyes shot wide open.

"What the fuck am I thinking?!" she scolded herself, anger building inside of her. "This guy sure as hell ain't getting off that easily. None of them are."

Mira turned around in the water and glared upwards, her face twisting into a scowl. "I'm taking you down, even if I have to go down with you!"

With this resolve in her mind, Mira summoned the last remaining bits of her strength and launched herself towards the surface at incredible speed.

Dryden, who was hovering above the sewers was staring at the water, carefully waiting for the woman to return. Seeing that the last air bubbles disappeared and the water started to settle in, he closed his eyes and turned around. Just when he was about to leave, his ears picked up a weird sound coming from the water. He turned around, only to see Mirajane shooting out of the blue body like a rocket. Without any chance of evading the attack, Dryden's body buckled over, as Mirajane smashed her head right into his cracked left side, effectively breaking the armor even further. Keeping him in place with her head, she pulled her arms back and started to repeatedly punch his abdomen, making the man feel more and more pain. Her right hand started to hurt in an itching, excruciating pain, but even then she kept punching, even if her right strikes were weaker, Fed up with the woman, Dryden raised his left arm and drove his elbow blade right into her back, its tip plunging itself in her body.

Due to her toughness and Dryden's drained strength, the stab was shallow, but it still made the woman gasp and stop her barrage. This allowed Dryden to fly backwards, away from her and regain his breath. Both TakeOver mages stared each other down, both trying to catch as much breath as possible.

Mira smirked, irritating the Commandment. "The hell are you smirking for?" he asked.

"We're finally on even terms." she wheezed out, her eyes barely open from exhaustion, but her smile still alive. "Let's see how good you are without that armor of yours."

His pride hurt, Dryden growled and threw himself at Mira, his right hook blocked by her left arm. She answered with a sharp right jab to his chin, followed by a left, long jab. These attacks had no effect on the man, as he threw a left uppercut, only to feel his fist hitting Mira's right knee. She smacked him with a right hook, which made his head fly to the side. This exposed his cracked left side, which was struck with a right middle-kick. Dryden grit his teeth in pain and wrapped his left arm around the woman's leg, before bringing his elbow down to her stretched knee, only to feel Mira get closer to him, as she bent the knee and headbutted him, freeing herself. She quickly flew back and breathed out.

The Armor followed her, however and threw a punch in her direction, which she blocked with one of her own. They looked at each other for a moment before engaging in yet another exchange of hits, this time much slower than their previous ones. For every punch landed on Dryden's ribs, Mira received a strike in the face in return, their hit count even. Her left eye was beginning to swell up, just like his ribs were growing more purple with each hit. With one final dual exchange they both flew backwards and gasped for air, neither giving up just yet.

Dryden held his right hand before himself and focused his magic in his claws, making them extend in the Demon's direction. Suprised that he can actually modify the shape of his armor, Mira flew right above them and charged at him, nailing him with a nasty right hook. The pain in her burned hand was so great it made her cry out, however it did not break her concentration. Dryden retaliated with a kick to her left side and kept the woman on his leg by straightening his foot behind her back. He turned in the air and pushed his leg downwards, sending the woman flying into the water once again. She flew out of it a second later, panting heavily, her body heavy and her magic on brink of running out.

"I won't bring him down like that." she thought. "I have to make a bet, I still have enough magic for one final attack."

Mira brought her arms behind her back, a dark-purple orb forming in her hands.

"Growing desperate, aren't we?" taunted Dryden, before dashing at the woman. "You seriously think you're going to hurt me with that thing ?I'll crush you before you even have a chance to launch it!"

With that said, he dived at the woman, catching her off guard. He kicked her in her solar plexus, knocking all the remaining wind she had out of her lungs. He then grabbed her by the throat with his left hand and lifted her in the air, slowly crushing her neck. Mira brought up her arms and wrapped her hands on his arm, trying to free herself. She wiggled her legs defenselessly, not strong enough to deliver a solid kick. She gargled and gasped for air, the grip of her hands loosening.

"This is goodbye, Mirajane." said Dryden, his voice merciless. "You can rest now."

Feeling that she was one second away from passing out, Mira decided to go for one final try. She brought up her heavy right arm and stuck her clawed thumb into Dryden's eye. As she expected, this area was not protected by the armor, her thumb easily entering the man's eye. He cried out in pain and let go off her neck, immediately clutching his face with his hands. Seeing that this was her one final chance, Mira brought her hands behind her back and formed the orb once again.

SOUL...

With his one remaining eye, Dryden watched the woman charge straight at him, and in the last attempt to protect himself raised his already wounded wing up, willing to sacrifice it in price for his survival. But the beam never came.

Mira ducked right under his wing and pulled her right hand back. Instead of launching the built up energy in the form of a beam, she kept it in her hand, greatly increasing her strength.

EXTINCTOR!

The Demon's right hand crashed right into Dryden's exposed ribs. She felt them break with her fist, their owner's left side bending over, as he spat out blood, his eye growing with mist. Her shoulder cried out in pain, as she pushed him down, before pushing one last time and setting the explosion off, sending him flying downwards straight into the water, as he crashed into it, a giant explosion of said liquid erupting, as it flew high above its original spot and splashed the floor above, extinguishing a vast portion of the flames in the process. It then dropped back to its place, giant waves forming on its surface.

Mira breathed heavily, her figure finally free of the water, as she watched Dryden's defeated figure sinking towards the bottom, pieces of his armor leaving his body, a bloody trail forming behind him.

The woman closed her eyes in relief and with the last remaining drop of her strength flew up back to the first floor. She landed on her feet and canceled her form, before falling onto her face in exhaustion, her mind going blank. But before it did, she sent one final message to her friends in her mind.

"The rest is up to you, guys."

Tower of Heaven, Fourth Floor

Lucy watched as Juvia and Aries escorted the group of slaves. They searched through majority of the levels, the only one unchecked being the highest one. Overall, there were 30 people still held in their cells, most of them on bottom levels. Lucy and Juvia successfully grouped them up, and came up with an escape plan. After heading downstairs, they would take the nearest window. Aries would then create a pad with her wool down on the ground, with Juvia bringing the people down with her water. It was a timeconsuming task, but the most effective one. Lucy decided to stay on the Fourth Floor and search the last floor before leaving the tower.

She climbed the stairs and reached the very top of the floor. She then started to run, briefly looking at all the cells she passed by. Just when she thought it was empty, she reached the last cell. There stood a young man with messy, black hair, his back turned against the bars.

Lucy breathed in relief and ran up to the bars. "Hold on, I'll get you out of here in a moment!"

The boy jumped a little at the sound of her voice, before slightly tilting his head in her direction. He listened as Lucy pulled out her whip and used it to smash the lock, opining the door afterwards.

"Come one, let's get out of here." she said, before grabbing his hand. That was the moment when she realised something was wrong.

His clothes were in much better shape, and he did not look like the other slaves. True, he was skinny, but nowhere near as the rest. The teenager turned around and smiled grimly at Lucy.

"Fairy Tail, huh? How nice of you to save all those people."

"Huh?"

Lucy blinked in confusion. She watched as the boy turned around to fully face her. He was around her age, his messy black hair covering a good part of his face. He had a sad smile glued to his face, as he continued to talk.

"It's a real shame I haven't met someone like you all those years ago." he said sarcastically, a small smirk forming on his face.

Lucy was now frowning. Something was definitely wrong.

"What are you-"

Just before she could finish her sentence, she felt her whole body freeze in one place. Suddenly, she felt like she was looking through someone else's eyes.

"What the hell is going on?!" she panicked in her thoughts, as she desperately tried to move. She then felt her eyes widen in her mind in realisation. "He's the one controlling the Chairman!"

She watched as the boy in front of her reached out to his back pocket and threw a knife, that planted itself in the ground just by her feet.

"Pick up this knife and kill yourself." he commanded with a bored, expressionless voice.

Much to her shock, Lucy witnessed her figure bend over obediently and pick up the weapon, as she desperately cried out in desperation to stop herself, her body not listening at all.

"Stop! Stop, me! Don't do it!" she cried out, as she watched her hands aiming the blade towards her own throat. She then started to bring it closer and closer, Lucy's pleas and attempts of freeing herself becoming more and more desperate.

"I should have been on the front lines, none of this shit would have happened if I had been." sighed the teenager and scratched his head, with Lucy seconds away from killing herself.

Just before the blade could reach her throat, Lucy saw a hand get a hold of her right arm, successfully halting the blade. With the corner of her eye she noticed the familiar red tie and unbuttoned black jacket, combined with messy orange hair. Lucy felt her eyes water, relief and hope replacing her fears in her mind.

"What the hell you think you're doing to my Master?" growled Loke, as he glared daggers at the man in front of him.

Luppi clicked his tongue in irritation and released Lucy from his control. She gasped for air and leg go of the knife, which fell onto the ground with a quiet clank. Her entire body was shaking, but she managed to look at her friend and crack a smile at him.

"Thank you." was all she managed to breathe out.

The man took his eyes off his upcoming opponent and looked at his Master, his scowl replaced with a smile.

"Anything for my Master. Now rest. I'll take care of this." he smiled, before getting in front of her. He then shifted his eyes onto Luppi, his eyes turning into daggers once again. "Don't think you're getting off easy, punk."

Luppi stared at the spirit with bored expression and sighed heavily, before reaching out for another knife.

"What a drag,"

End of Chapter 10. To be continued in Chapter 11: Demons Of The Past


	11. Demons Of The Past

Tower of Heaven, Christina

Wendy stared out the window at the tower, her mind unsettled and her finger tapping the sill in a weird rhythm. She'd lie if she said she wasn't worried, in fact, she wanted to go out there and support her friends. But deep down she knew she'd be a nuisance, and that made her sadness even heavier.

"Trouble calming down?"

Wendy jumped in her seat and turned around, only to find Hibiki right beside her. She slowly nodded in response and got back to looking at the window.

Hibiki looked at the tower as well and smiled a little. "I know the situation may look bad, but there's nothing to worry about. I don't think Fairy Tail could combine a greater team than those seven. Well, eight. Together, they will surely..."

The man stopped talking and looked at the girl, only to realise Wendy wasn't listening to him, and instead squinted her eyes, her face frowning. He also looked out the window and the sight froze his blood.

There was bloodied Gray, with unconscious Gajeel hanged over his shoulders, as he dragged the Dragon Slayer from behind the high, white stairs that led to the tower. Gray's step was slow and unsteady, making it look like he was about to fall at any minute.

Wendy quickly shot from her spot and ran up to the exit.

"Ren, Eve! Open the door!" yelled Hibiki, as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, ready to assist his friends.

As soon as the door lowered, Wendy shot out of the ship, with Hibiki following her just few steps behind. They ran up to Gray, who finally fell onto his knees and immediately grabbed both men, preventing them from falling onto their wounds. The rest of the Trimens caught up with the pair shortly after and lifted Gajeel off the ground, carefully carrying him over to the ship. Gray was supported by Wendy, who struggled to keep him on his feet, but bravely led him onboard. When they finally got to the ship, the Trimens laid Gajeel down onto his back, and Gray fell onto his bottom, his back up against the wall, as he made a sound that resembled a mix between a sigh of relief and a growl.

"Take care of him first." he told Wendy, who nodded and walked up to Gajeel.

She grabbed his vest and forcefully opened it, revealing his naked torso. The sight horrified her.

Gajeel's right shoulder was now decorated with a gasping hole, as wide as Wendy's fist. His torso was covered in multiple cuts, bruises and marks, his right leg pierced, with a big, heavily swollen stab wound placed right in the middle of his thigh. The young Dragon Slayer then looked at Gray. He was also covered in cuts and bruises, but the most noticeable injury on his body was his pierced right side, that was already stained crimson from constant blood loss.

Hibiki also stared at the state both men were in, his eyes widening. "To drive you this far in this short amount of time..." he muttered, terrified. "Unbelievable."

"Don't piss your pants yet." grunted Gray. "I still have to go get Mira. I saw her on my way here, but couldn't grab her. She's in no better shape than us."

Hibiki didn't say anything, his eyes widening even further. Three of Fairy Tail's most powerful wizards one step away from grave in a matter of 20 minutes? The thought was simply unimaginable to him.

Gray sighed once again and looked at Wendy. Catching the girl's eyes, which were still glued to his wounds, Gray slowly shook his head. "Don't worry about me, focus on tincan. He'll die if you don't help him."

Wendy bit her lip in frustration and complied, immediately hovering her hands over Gajeel's shoulder.

"Eve-san." she called out with a scared, but determined voice. "Please apply pressure onto Gajeel-san's right leg. Wrap something around the wound and squeeze tight."

The boy nodded and stood up in search of something clean to stop the bleeding with. In the meantime, Wendy focused on closing Gajeel's shoulder wound, sweat already dripping from her forehead.

Glad that Gajeel was finally in safe hands, Gray started to stand up, using the wall as support.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" asked Ren with an annoyed voice, as he ran up to the man and grabbed him by the shoulders. "You're not going anywhere."

"The woman we fought is still out there." retorted Gray and tried to get free from Ren's grip. "Mira is just one floor below her. If she finds her, she'll kill her. I have to go back there and finish it."

"You can barely stand, how do you expect to go back there and fight? You'll get killed." said Ren, successfully knocking Gray back onto his ass. The Maker grit his teeth in anger and tried to get up once again.

"You don't understand!" he yelled. "I have to finish this! I have to..."

"Gray-kun."

Ichiya's serious voice suprised the ice mage. He looked at the short man, whose face did not resemble its usual goofy expression. Before him stood the true ace of Blue Pegasus.

"We understand how you feel, but you are in no condition to fight. We will retrieve Mirajane-san on our own, while you stay here and recover from your injuries. We cannot allow you to throw your life in vain." said Ichiya.

The man's words seemed to have hit their mark, with Gray slowly loosening his body up, which allowed Ren to successfully push him back onto the floor.

"Ren, Eve! With me! We shall retrieve Mirajane-san immediately!" called out Ichiya.

"Yes, Boss!" yelled the men. Eve tightly tied a cloth around Gajeel's leg and ran out after his friends.

Gray looked at the trio with a mixed face, before grimacing from pain. With the corner of his eye he noticed Hibiki, who was carrying an orange box. He kneeled beside the Maker and opened it, revealing it to be a giant first aid kit.

"What are you doing?" asked confused Gray, as he watched Hibiki pull out syringes and bandages.

"Patching you up." smiled Hibiki and filled the syringe in with some sort of a liquid. He then used his magic and opened a tab about medicine. "I can't let Wendy-chan do all the work on her own. I know bits and pieces, I've been putting my magic into good use, you know."

Gray was skeptical, was after feeling yet another wave of pain from his wound, complied. "I hope you know what you're doing."

Hibiki smiled in response and injected the fluid into Gray's stomach. "In 10 minutes you'll be as good as new."

Tower of Heaven, Sixth Floor

Jellal stood by the stairs to the last floor, his eyes closed. His back was pressed against the wall, with his hands crossed on his chest. Suddenly, he smirked and opened his eyes, only to lock them onto a familiar figure of Arthur walking up to him.

"Done already?" he asked the elder.

The man did not respond. Instead, he walked up to Jellal and stood right before him, his old eyes glued to his. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice calm but with a small dose of hostility.

Jellal raised his eyebrows and looked around the floor. "Guarding the Master. What else could I be doing?" he asked, slightly confused.

"You were supposed to be downstairs, not here." replied Arthur, his eyes continuing to pierce Jellal.

The man smirked and stood straight, dropping his arms to his sides. "All these years, and you still don't trust me?"

"I don't trust anyone."

"Not even your beloved Master?"

"Even Master Silva can turn out to be an obstacle in the way to our goal."

"So you'd kill him if he turned out to be one?"

"If he ever strayed off his path and threatened us, I would personally see into his death."

Jellal grinned in amusement. "As expected of a former assassin."

Arthur did not share his smile. Jellal picked it up as a sign and snorted lightly. "I assume this rule applies to all Commandments as well?"

"Indeed."

The Heavens walked up to the elder as close as he could and looked into his eyes, his smile fading away.

"Do you really think I'd betray our guild?" he asked quietly. "What have I done to make you distrust me this much?"

"Your background does not match your current occupation." replied the elder. "You've also never cared much about our preparations, nor did you put any effort into getting us closer. You acted on your own accord way too many times."

"I was doing my job in the Council as best as I could. It was my idea to push all the suspicion built up by the Council onto me and start anew on a bigger scale, was it not? Besides, my background is none of your concern, as far as I can tell. We swore not to use it against each other upon joining the guild, have we not?"

"Indeed, we have. That doesn't stop me from trying to prevent a disaster, though. As for your input, we had our suspicions that you plotted behind our back, for your own, personal benefit. You're the least trusted Commandment for a reason, Jellal."

Jellal inhaled through his nose and turned away from Arthur. He walked up the stairs, and stopped at the fifth step. He then turned around to face the elder once again.

"In my darkest hour, Zeref was the one who called out to me. He's the one who showed me the truth of this world, he is the one, who showed me that this world is wrong. I am who I am today because of him. Do you really think I'd try to prevent his resurrection?"

Jellal's short monologue had absolutely no effect on Arthur. He simply stared at him, his face unchanging. After a short while, his eyes squinted and he walked up the stairs to meet Jellal on eye-level.

"Your acting skills are quite possibly the weakest I've ever seen." he whispered.

With that said, Arthur left shocked Jellal alone and walked down the corridor, seemingly heading downstairs.

"Very well. I will leave guarding Master in your hands, Jellal. I doubt anyone will make it here, but if they do, fulfill your duty as one of Seven Commandments. Keep my warning in your mind, let it fuel you."

After a minute, Arthur was gone. Jellal stood in his spot, his teeth slightly clenching themselves. "Way to throw a wrench into my plans, old man." he breathed out, before walking down the stairs and resuming his original position. He then shifted his head towards the ceiling and smiled sarcastically. "I guess all I can do is root for my old friend and her bunch of simpletons."

Tower of Heaven, Fourth Floor

Lucy couldn't help but continue to watch what was happening before her in complete awe.

She watched Luppi, who continued to toy with Loke. The fight has been taken to the ground after the spirit was knocked off to the ground from Luppi's cell. After realising that his magic does not work on Celestial beings, the Commandment decided to take matters into his own hands, albeit much to his annoyance. He was currently effortlessly dodging Loke's punches and kicks, who was growing more and more desperate.

The spirit once again struck at the teenager, only to see him slip his head to the side and trip him, causing him to drop onto the ground.

"How is this possible?" asked Lucy, shocked.

Luppi looked at her through his messy hair before replying. Despite his moves, he did not look good. His face was green, his eyes baggy and sweat was running down his face, as if he was holding something in. "Holder mages are known to be weak without their magic. Even the most invincible magics like mine have their weaknesses. One of them is now lying by my feet." he explained in a weak voice, before nodding to Loke, who glared back at the man and stood up from the ground. "That's why I was forced to train against my will by Jolene. I guess I'll have to thank her for all those hours of torture."

Luppi then turned around to face Lucy with his entire figure and smirked. "Only a moron would not create countermeasures for their weaknesses. It's a shame you're one of them."

All of a sudden, he dashed at the blonde, his hand reaching out towards his back, where his knife was located. He pulled it out and slashed at the girl, only to feel his eyes widen in suprise when his strike was dodged, with Lucy jumping out of the way. She quickly pulled out her whip and waved it in his direction, forcing him to jump back. He landed several meters away in a safe place and sighed heavily.

"Today is just not my day." he whined. "Why didn't you just stab yourself like a good girl? I really don't feel well, yet here you are, forcing me to do stuff I don't want to do. I know your daddy didn't spend too much time with you, but come the hell on princess, know some manners."

Lucy frowned upon hearing his words, unsure whether she heard him right. "What did you say?" she asked, her voice unnaturally sharp.

"Oh, don't be so suprised." Luppi sighed and waved his hand. "All of you always have the exact same reaction. It really gets boring after a while, at least come up with something original, you are a writer after all."

Lucy was now unsettled. Both of these things were personal information she held close to herself, even her team knew barely anything about her hobby.

"Lucy, don't listen to him." threw in Loke and stood before her, blocking her from Luppi's view. "He's trying to mess with your mind."

"I'm afraid I already did that. You know, the whole knife thing and stuff." mocked Luppi and raised his hands to his throat, stabbing himself with an imaginary knife. This only made Loke even angrier.

"Is it this fun to manipulate people? To hurt them?" he asked, his hands glowing with dangerous light.

"That's the only entertainment I have in this boring life of mine, do go easy on me." smirked weakly Luppi.

Loke dashed at the teenager and threw a quick and swift right straight, only to have it dodged by Luppi. He quickly sidestepped to his left and pulled his knife out, slashing at Loke, successfully catching him on the cheek. The spirit clicked his teeth in annoyance and continued his assault of strikes, all of them dodged by his opponent. Despite the swiftness of his moves, they were relatively sloppier than few minutes ago, as Luppi's face was starting to take a color of solid green.

Finally, after what felt like eternity, Loke connected with a right hook, effectively knocking Luppi off his feet. He slid on the ground, with the spirit chasing him, ready to finish him off. Luppi quickly rolled one the ground to avoid Loke's stomp and got up, throwing a knife at the spirit to buy enough time to get away. Loke simply deflected the weapon away and chased the Commandment, before delivering a powerful punch to his stomach, knocking the wind out of his body. He then followed with another body blow, which sent the teenager flying. He landed on his back and slid on the ground for few feet, before coming to a stop.

"You have no idea how good that felt." smirked Loke, before extinguishing his fists. He then turned around to face Lucy with a smile on his face, who did not respond to it. Instead, she kept staring behind Loke, a frown glued to her face.

The spirit turned back around and felt his eyes widen a little, as he watched Luppi get off the ground and dust his clothes off. Suprised with his durability, Loke once again took a fighting stance, ready to attack.

"I knew fighting in this state was a bad idea." sighed The Mind and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "I really don't learn."

He then shifted his gaze onto his opponents, his lids squinting a little. He did not anticipate to face a Celestial Spirit in the slightest, let alone one with this much power. If it only had been just the girl, he'd have been on his way to the next target. Taking control over her was pointless as of now: even if he forced her to close the gate, the spirit would remain. Retreating was starting to be the only plausible option for now.

Lucy then felt warm sensation on her right hip, much to her suprise. She looked at it, only to see light emitting from her key holster, which signalised Aries' return.  
Which also meant...

"Lucy!"

Suddenly, someone called out to the blonde, startling the trio. They all looked in the direction of the voice, where they found Juvia making her way towards them. Instead of joy, Lucy felt fear grasping her chest, as she recalled her recent memories of being controlled by the Commandment. Not willing to let her friend experience it, she reached out her hand in Juvia's direction and yelled. "Stop! Don't come near us! Get away from here!"

Juvia stopped in her tracks and looked at Lucy, her face covered with confusion. She then took a look at Luppi, gears turning in her head.

Loke also looked at the male, his eyes widening in realisation, as he watched his teeth baring themselves in a sinister grin. Without thinking, he dashed at the Commandment, his fists covered in light once again. He pulled his arm back and threw a desperate punch at his opponent, eager to finish him off. However, he failed.

Before his hand could reach Luppi's face, he felt a strong pressure of water blasting him away and painfully crashing him into a nearby wall.

Lucy watched her friend being taken by the current in shock, as she quickly shifted her eyes to Juvia. She was pointing her hands at the spirit and repeatedly struck him with quick, powerful blasts of water, which continued to nail him into the wall, despite his put up guard.

"Juvia, stop!" called desperately Lucy.

"I'm afraid she doesn't hear you." said Luppi with a weak smirk, his face paling even more. "We can change that, though." he added and snapped his fingers, which caused Juvia to stop her assault. She then shifted her gaze onto Lucy and stared at her with blank expression.

Lucy met Juvia's eyes with hers, pain grasping her heart. Her previously warm, kind eyes were now empty, blank, almost lifeless. Feeling tears forming in her eyes, Lucy grit her teeth in anger and looked at Luppi. "Why are you doing this?" she asked him, her voice pretty calm despite her pent up anger.

Luppi stared into her brown eyes for a moment, as if wondering how to answer this question. After a short while, he sighed heavily and replied. "Do you know that story about a kid being born with an unusual, distressing ability, who was then dragged through hell because of it? It's something like that."

He stopped talking and slowly started to walk in a circle, his step heavy and tired. After walking for few meters, he resumed his speech. "When people meet something they don't understand, they start to fear it. They don't want anything to do with it, they want to get rid of it as soon as possible."

Lucy listened to his words, trying to figure out the logic behind them. With the corner of her eye, she noticed Juvia starting to walk in the same fashion as Luppi, both of them heading towards each other.

"You see, I was quite a sweet kid back in the day, believe it or not. But people don't give a shit about your feelings, as long as you seem dangerous to them. Fear is what keeps the weak alive. It makes them do stupid, cruel things, and as long as it guarantees their survival, they don't give a shit about consequences. So, when you have a kid with unnatural, creepy abilities..."

"...and a bunch of brainless farmers, who have always solved their problems with violence, ignorance and cruelty, rather than plain logic..." picked up Juvia, startling Lucy. Her kind, warm voice was now matching that of Luppi's cold, emotionless one, the intonation of the words and her tone the same as his. Seeing and hearing her friend like this filled Lucy with pure terror.

"..and you have those farmers use, take advantage of, and push that special kid far enough, for many months..." continued Luppi.

"...inequitably, may I add..." threw in Juvia.

"...and with absolutely no room for negotiation, compassion or mercy..." added Luppi.

"...what do you think happens?" finished Juvia. She was now standing right before Luppi, both of them facing each other.

They then turned around to face Lucy, both of them standing right beside each other. Their faces twisted with sadistic, terrifying smiles, that filled every fiber of Lucy's being with fear.

"Justice." they hissed in sync.

Lucy took a step back, her breath stuck in her throat. The way he made Juvia copy every one of his moves, the way he made her talk in, the way he made her look like him - it all filled her with pure fear. Never in her years has she seen a magic this terrifying and sinister.

Luppi and Juvia watched the blonde struggle with amusement.

"People are truly magnificent creatures. They can do a certain activity for years and not notice they're doing it, only to call themselves the victims years later, when the situation suddenly slips out of their control. People are afraid of monsters, but what they fail to realise, is that in some cases they are their creators. Source: me." said Luppi and Juvia simultaneously, both of them making the exact same hand gestures to help them express themselves. "All it takes is one worse day and one poorly timed push, and bam." added Luppi on his own, clapping his hands loudly. "You're a monster."

Both Luppi and Juvia looked at Lucy once again, before resuming their speech.

"I've finally realised I'll never have a place in this world, not with this magic. So I had them kill each other, one by one, their screams giving me the feeling of satisfaction I desperately needed. That's when Master Silva found me. He shared his version of a perfect world with me, he gave me me everything I had ever asked for - hope." monologued Luppi through Juvia's mouth.

Despite the overwhelming feeling of fear, Lucy stood tall and gulped loudly to clear her throat. "So in order to create this perfect world, you make people go through the same pain on purpose?" she asked with a shaky, but loud voice.

"Not exactly." replied Luppi, this time with his own mouth. "We give people a fair choice. They can either die, or help us build it. We're not forcing anyone. By building, they can become a part of it, they can become a stone, on which our world will be placed, making themselves be remembered as those, who made it possible. By refusing to do so, they simply speed up their deaths, as vermin has no place in our paradise."

These words hit Lucy harder than anything she'd encountered in her life. Her previous feeling of fear was now giving in to pure, unfamiliar anger.

"Do you have any idea what these people have been through?" she hissed through her teeth, her grip on her whip tightening. "Do you hold absolutely no regard to human life?! How can you consider people as not worthy of living?!"

"Of course I do." replied casually Luppi, answering her first question and ignoring the others. "I was there, I've seen it happen."

Lucy was now shaking from anger. She closed her eyes, the horrifying sights she witnessed during the past week resurfacing with full strength. She then opened them and glared daggers at the Commandment, slightly unsettling him.

"Then I will do everything I can to stop you, and save those people." said Lucy.

"Oh? Can you bring yourself to fight your dear friend?" asked sarcastically Luppi.

"I won't have to." she replied shortly, suprising the teenager. "Just making her walk has weakened you to the point where you can barely stand. I assume the more people you control, the bigger the strain on your body is. Controlling the Chairman for so long must've been very tiring."

Luppi's eyes widened, as he whistled quietly, seemingly impressed and clapped his hands. "Bravo. I knew you were smart." he said with a smirk. "You're right, I can't control her for much longer. But I have a little trick up my sleeve, that you might find really cool."

Suddenly, Juvia fell to her knees, her head hanging limply in front of her chest. Luppi then breathed out in relief and cracked his neck, before facing Lucy one again.

"A mind is a wonderful thing, you see. All those memories, feelings, connections, paths - it's truly a marvelous and complex thing. It's seemingly unbreakable, unreadable, impossible to fully understand, and yet, it takes just one cut string to cause a disaster."

Juvia stirred in her spot, and started to slowly stand up.

"Funnily enough, memories centered around a specific person are particularly strong. They can take up so much space in someones mind, it's almost sickening. Like here." Luppi pointed at Juvia with his hands. "All those memories, all this strength, and yet, it took just one tiny little alteration to bring this giant mountain down, and throw her into a pit of chaos."

Juvia was now on her feet. She slowly raised her head to look at Lucy, her eyes teary and full of hatred.

"What have you done?" asked unsettled Lucy.

"I really love people as simple as her." sighed Luppi, before patting Juvia on her head, which earned him no reaction from the woman at all, as she continued to glare at Lucy. Luppi creepily played with her blue hair, feeling them in-between his fingers. "I don't even have to control her. All I had to do to make her fulfill my wish and want to kill you, was add a small, fake, but quite graphic memory of you killing someone named Gray Fullbuster into her tiny little mind."

Suddenly, Juvia threw herself at Lucy, a terrifying scream coming out of her mouth. Lucy quickly stepped away from the woman, who continued to chase her in a mad run, her hands turned into water whips.

"Juvia, please, come to your senses!" cried Lucy, before being forced to duck under a stream of water sent in her direction. She then felt Juvia's fist make contact with her stomach, which sent her flying backwards.

"I really am a genius." sighed quietly Luppi, as he watched Juvia mercilessly attack Lucy, who continued to call out to her friend in vain.

Tower of Heaven, Fifth Floor

Erza, Natsu and Laxus continued to make their way through the floor, which this time was a labyrinth of corridors and rooms, making it tricky to leave. Much to the Dragon Slayers' disappointment, Erza forbid them from forcing their way through, in fear of possible traps and hidden enemies.

"I'm getting sick of this place." muttered Laxus.

"You and me both." agreed Natsu.

"Stop whining." scolded them Erza, who was running in the front.

The trio then took yet another turn and found themselves in front of a much wider corridor than before. It was at least 7 meters wide, with the ceiling being hanged much, much higher then previously, which did not fit the floor's structure at all. Sensing trouble, Erza tensed up her senses, ready to react in time to any possible ambush.

They kept running for a while, before Laxus spoke up. "You think they're done down there? The tower's stopped shaking."

"It's been a while since we split up. I wouldn't be suprised if they were all on their way up here by now." replied Erza.

Laxus looked at the knight. She was worried, that was not a secret, but he could tell that her thoughts were focused on the floor directly beneath them.

"They'll manage." he assured her quietly, earning him a suprised look from the redhead. "We need you here, not somewhere else. They're strong, you know they are. They're probably already on the ship, with all those people."

Erza blinked, her face still suprised. Never in her life would she expect Laxus to express worry about her, even if only a little. This made her ease up a little, which allowed her to muster a small smile.

"You're right."

They continued to run for next few minutes in silence. Laxus and Natsu caught up to her, as they were now running right next to her, with Natsu in the middle. Finally, they noticed a familiar, huge, open door that signalised the end of their current location.

"Two stories to go. Since we haven't met them for this long, it must mean they're all-"

Erza's warning was cut off, as someone pounced onto her and pushed her aside with quite alot of strength. Suprised and confused, she felt herself drop onto the floor, with someone landing on top of her. She quickly turned her head around to notice a familiar white scarf right in her face, with Natsu, who covered her body with his own lying on top of her, his head turned towards the staircase.

"Natsu, what are you-" she wanted to ask, before noticing Laxus, who was standing few feet away from them, clad in his lightning cloak. She then looked at the floor, where dozens of giant knives were impaled into the floor where she stood just a moment ago, along with another dozen scattered on the ground, most likely deflected by Laxus. The man was staring at the staircase as well, his face mimicking Natsu's scowl almost perfectly.

Erza also shifted her eyes towards the shadows, where a figure started to appear. It was the elderly man from the first floor. He was heading towards the trio, his hands behind his back, his step gracious and light.

"As expected of Dragon Slayers." said Arthur. He stopped few yards away from the group, and watched Laxus and Natsu with impressed eyes. "As soon as you've heard my knives cut through the air, your bodies reacted on their own. How truly marvelous."

Natsu stood up, freeing Erza from his weight. The girl stared at him, her eyes wide. "If it hadn't been for him, I'd be dead. I heard and felt absolutely nothing."

Erza gulped and also stood up, locking her eyes on the Commandment before her, uneasiness filling her chest. The man in front of her was powerful, she knew that from his magic power alone. However, there was something that screamed danger, something she couldn't quite grasp yet.

"Since you're here, I assume we're getting close, aren't we?" asked Natsu, his attitude from first floor returning, almost as if his personality turned inside out.

"Indeed you are." confirmed Arthur, his voice and face suprisingly kind. "I am here to safely escort you to Master Silva's chambers, alone, I'm afraid. Your cooperation is most welcome."

The elder then looked at Laxus and Erza, his gentle expression disappearing. "As for you two, I'm afraid we have no use of you. You must be eliminated."

The trio tensed up and put up their guards.

"If he's planning on taking the three of us alone, he must be either overconfident or he knows what he's doing." muttered Laxus.

"Overconfident is the last word I'd use to describe him." denied Natsu. "He's the real deal, alright."

Erza breathed through her nose, trying to relax. All of her senses screamed in danger at the sight of the man before her, much to her confusion and annoyance.

"What exactly is your goal?" she asked. She tried to buy as much time as possible in order to come up with a strategy on how to beat this man.

Arthur looked at Erza. "I'm afraid that doesn't concern you, my dear."

"It concerns me." threw in Natsu, suprising both the elder and Erza. "Since you've been trying to hunt me down for so long now, I might as well learn why you need me alive so badly. I doubt it's because I destroyed your inner guilds."

Arthur continued to look at Natsu in slight shock, which made Erza smirk to herself. Despite his anger, he was able to take her hint and momentarily put it aside to look at the bigger picture and pull the elder by his tongue - she'd be lying if she said she wasn't impressed, maybe even proud.

Arthur regained his composure and locked his eyes with Natsu. "Very well. You do have that right." he said. "7th Commandment: The Mind, will use the controlled Chairman to hold a vote. Upon succeeding, Etherion will be launched at this tower, which will fuel it with magic power necessary to hold the ceremony. Once we achieve that, you will be sacrificed. To successfully restore a life with R-System, a wizard strong enough to be considered a Wizard Saint is required. Despite bringing quite alot of candidates with yourself, you are still the perfect host. Your body will be given to the tower, which will disintegrate, and then reconstruct it, all in order to successfully resurrect the rightful ruler of this world - Zeref."

Erza's eyes narrowed sorrowfully. All her fears have just been confirmed. She looked at Natsu, who, suprisingly, was completely unfazed by what he'd just heard.

"I see." he said, before grinning like a madman, which earned him a raised eyebrow from Arthur. "You've told me more than you wanted to."

Suddenly, Natsu stomped the floor with his flaming feet, the ground beneath him breaking. He shifted his eyes at Arthur, whose calm demeanour started to change, as the man was clearly distressed after taking Natsu's not so gentle hint.

"I wouldn't piss him off any more if I were you." threw in Laxus.

Natsu looked at him. "Does it even make a difference? The very fact he shared his plans with us means he is not intending on letting us live."

"Even so, by pissing him off, you're robbing us of precious time we could have used on strategizing. You saw what he's capable of, none of us can deal with his magic. We need a plan."

Natsu shifted his eyes back to Arthur, who was still in his spot. After a short while, the man took his arms from behind his back and put them on both of his sides.

"I'm afraid your time has just ran out, Dragon Slayer." said the man, before taking a step towards the trio.

Erza immediately summoned a sword and got in fighting stance, both of her comrades doing the same.

"Natsu, Laxus, stick toge-"

Erza's words were brutally cut off, as she froze in place, along with her companions and everything surrounding them. Her face was stuck in a weird grimace, her mouth wide open. The Dragon Slayers were stuck in fighting poses, their guards put up in their own, individual styles. The only one to maintain his movement was Arthur, who graciously paced towards the trio. He reached out to his inner pocket and pulled out a knife. He then slightly turned to his left and walked up to Erza. He stopped right in front of her and locked his gaze with her frozen, brown eyes, which were wide open. They expressed determination, confusion, but most importantly - a small drop of fear. The man was used to this sight, having seen it hundreds of times by now. Still, it never failed to amuse him, even if just a little.

"All these years, and I still can't get rid of this unpleasant feeling every time I meet a female on the field of battle." sighed the elder. He then put up his knife and pressed it against the knight's throat. "I'm sorry it's come to this, my dear. I wish I could avoid it." he added grimly.

Just when he was about to slice Erza's skin, he felt numb pain taking over the right side of his face. Shocked, he quickly shifted his left eye to see who was the one who attacked him, only to see a yellow lightning crackling on his face.

Laxus flexed his shoulder and pushed, finishing his powerful blow to Arthur's right cheekbone. The man crashed into the ground and bounced off of it, his grip on the knife loosening. Laxus then quickly followed up by kicking him in the ribs while he was still on the ground, which sent him flying into a nearby wall, breaking it in the process.

"-ther!" finished Erza.

The woman blinked in confusion, with Natsu parroting her right beside her. She then looked to her left, where she saw Laxus glaring at something, his left fist bloodied and his lightning crackling dangerously. She then looked to her right, only to feel her eyes widen at the sight of Arthur slowly getting out from beneath the rubble.

"What?" was all she managed to muster. "What just happened?"

Arthur clutched his aching cheek and looked at Laxus, his eyes as shocked as Erza's. "Impossible...How did you manage to free yourself from within my time?!"

"No idea what you're talking about, old man." retorted Laxus, before cracking his knuckles.

The man breathed out to regain his composure and stood up, his face returning to its previous calm state.

"I must have gotten distracted, thus slightly losing control. This time, I will not be careless."

The trio was once again frozen in their spots. Arthur pulled out yet another weapon and dashed at Laxus's frozen figure with speed suprising for a man of his age. He pulled his arm back and thrust at the man's face, only to see him dodge the strike at the last possible second by slipping his head to the side.

"What?!" gasped Arthur, before being struck by a right hook, which sent him flying once again, this time crashing him into the opposite wall.

Erza and Natsu were once again free, their confusion increasing even more.

"What the hell is going on?!" asked irritated Natsu, directing the question to Laxus. Much to his suprise, the man was panting heavily, as if something incredibly tiring happened to him in the span of last 20 seconds.

"Listen to me." he whispered in-between his breaths so low only Natsu could pick up his words. "And make sure you get every single word."

Arthur got back up once again. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and observed the bloody stain left on it by his bleeding lip. He then shifted his eyes back onto Laxus, whose mouth was moving just barely, without a doubt relaying a message to his friends.

"There can be only one explanation for this miracle." whispered the Commandment to himself.

He watched as Natsu nodded to Laxus and walked up to Erza, standing very close to her, which seemingly suprised the knight. Anticipating their move, he walked out of his pile of rubble and blocked the staircase with his body, his eyes slowly shifting between each one of his enemies.

"Ready?" whispered Laxus.

"Ready."

It was so fast, that despite his skills, Arthur couldn't help but simply watch. Laxus quickly raised his arm up towards the ceiling and shot a fast, powerful lightning into the surface above him, breaking it in the process, leaving a hole big enough to fit a person or two. In the meantime, Natsu quickly put his hands behind Erza's knees and shoulders and picked her up bridal style, much to her shock. Before the lightning broke through the ceiling, he had already lit his feet on fire and turned them into thrusters, which he used to launch himself towards the hole. Just when Arthur could finally react, the pair was already on the upper floor.

"How uncivilised." sighed Arthur. He then looked at the hole and bent his knees, ready to follow the pair, only to see the hole being welded up, with Natsu melting the floor in order to seal it.

Seeing that it was fruitless, Arthur exhaled through his nose, an unfamiliar feeling of anger building up inside of him.

"Looks like it's just the two of us left, old man." smirked Laxus.

Arthur's eyes bitter taste of failure angered him very much, however chasing after them would only end badly, especially with his current opponent's unique condition. Figuring out that he was going to spend a while with the youngster, Arthur calmed down and decided prepared for battle.

"I presume it's safe to assume your magic had been granted to you by implanting a lacrima inside your body, correct?" he asked, eager to confirm his suspicions.

"Even if it was, what of it?" answered Laxus, slightly suprised the man noticed it.

Arthur sighed. "That would explain this rare and very unthinkable meeting of ours. How utterly bizarre."

Laxus frowned, not getting the hang of the man's words.

"In the entire world, you're quite possibly one of the few people capable of fighting off my ability. How unfortunate...is what I'd have said, if I hadn't been this intrigued and curious."

"I still have no idea what you're talking about." said Laxus, slightly irritated with the man's behavior.

Arthur spread his arms and straightened his back. "Do forgive me, for I've yet to properly introduce myself." he said, before bowing. "2nd Commandment: The Time, at your service."

Laxus' eyes widened in suprise. "Time?"

"Yes." replied shortly Arthur, before straightening back up. "I have an ability, which grants me almost perfect control over time. The only thing I am weak against, are magical tools and lacrimas, such as the one residing in your body." he continued, pointing at Laxus' chest with his finger. "I believe it to be the reason behind your ability to move within my time."

The Dragon Slayer looked at his chest and touched it with his hand. He then squeezed his shirt tight and shifted his eyes back to his opponent. "I guess I should be thankful I'm the one you ran into, not the others."

"That, you indeed should." said Arthur. He then extended his arm towards the blonde and pointed at him with his palm. "I have told you my name, however, I have yet to hear yours."

Laxus clenched his fist, lightning crackling around it. "Laxus Dreyar."

The elder was slightly shocked. "Makarov Dreyar's grandson?"

This question annoyed the youngster more than it was supposed to. If there was one thing he disliked more than anything else, it was disregarding his existence as an individual person, instead describing him just as his grandfather's grandson.

Arthur made a fist and retracted his arm. He then pulled out a pair of white gloves and slid them onto his hands. "I've always wanted to properly test my abilities in battle. I couldn't have asked for a better opponent to help me out with this selfish wish. I hope you do not disappoint me, Laxus Dreyar."

The Dragon Slayer bent his knees and got into a fighting position, his cloak once again covering his entire figure.

"I really don't get you people."

Tower of Heaven, Sixth Floor

Natsu got through the hole as fast as he could and landed on his feet. He then turned around, puffed his cheeks out and treated the floor with his fire, melting it down. Once the hole was closed, he stopped and sighed, his feeling of being chased subduing to relief.

"Natsu?"

The Dragon Slayer blinked and looked in the direction of the voice. The sight reminded him and his arms were still wrapped around Erza, keeping her close to his torso. Her face expressed irritation mixed with embarrassment, with slight shade of red painting her cheeks.

"You can put me down now." she said, making it sound more like a command, rather than permission.

"Oh. Right, sorry." mumbled Natsu and put the knight down, his face feeling unnaturally hot. "There was no time to explain it to you, so I just went through without your permission. Sorry." he tried to explain, his voice dry and slightly embarrassed.

"Don't be, I think your decision was right. Even if a little bold."

Natsu cleared his throat and looked around. They were currently in a lobby, very different than the ones they met on their way here. This floor was much more human looking than the ones beneath him. It was clearly designed to be used as living space, with several chambers spread all over the lobby, some of them with open doors. Not sensing anyone in here, the Dragon Slayer then focused on the exit, which most likely led to the rest of the level.

"We should get going." he said to Erza. The woman nodded and they both started to run, this time much slower than previously. Their encounter with Arthur sharpened their senses and made them anxious of any other possible ambushes. Since this floor had no windows, at least not outside of the rooms, the only source of light were half burnt torches, their amount decreasing the further they've gone.

After couple more minutes, they reached an area so dark Natsu had to lit his hand up and use it as a torch. Suddenly, Erza was halted by Natsu's extended arm, as he stopped in his tracks, his nose picking up a new scent. He extended his arm to light the nearby torches up, lighting the floor up in the process. They were right in front of a staircase, which led to the top floor of the tower. Right beside the first step stood a figure, their face covered with a hood. The figure raised their head and smirked under the cloth, their hands beginning to slowly clap mockingly.

"Well, well, well. I did not expect you to pass through Arthur. Color me impressed." the figure said with a male voice.

Erza summoned a sword and glued her eyes to the man. "Who are you?" she asked.

"My dear Erza, you wound me." replied the man with a faked pain in his voice. "It took you only 7 years to forget me. Then again, you've always found it easy to hurt others."

Erza was now getting uneasy. "Who are you?!" she demanded, as she lost her composure.

The man slowly raised his hand and slid his hood off, exposing his azure hair and the tattoo on his right eye.

"Hello, Erza." smiled Jellal. "It's been a while."

Erza's eyes widened in pure shock, her sword dragging her arms down to the ground, until its tip made contact with the ground with a quiet clank. "Jellal...You're alive."

Jellal smirked and planted his back against the wall, his hands crossing themselves over his chest.

"Yes, I am. I bet you didn't expect to ever see me again?"

Erza's eyes narrowed. "I heard rumors about you joining the Council, but could never confirm them. Master Makarov shrugged off all of my questions."

"What a protective parent he is." mocked Jellal.

Erza ignored this remark. "Since you're here, I assume you're a part of Seven Commandments?"

"As observant as ever." Jellal continued to mock her.

Natsu looked at Erza, then back at the man. "You know him?" he asked her.

"She does." Jellal answered for her. "We go way back. We used to live here together."

Natsu frowned and looked back at the redhead, who continued to stare at Jellal with troubled eyes. His words have clearly hurt the girl, possibly awakening something unpleasant. If he meant what the pinkette thought he did, then that would mean...

"Yes, we used to live here, along with many others." continued Jellal, almost as if reading Natsu's mind. "We suffered together, we endured together, we comforted each other, we tried to get the best out of life together. And yet, there was one thing that we did not, in fact, do together. Escape from here."

Erza took a step back. "No, that's not what happened!" she yelled out defensively, suprising Natsu.

"You took advantage of the situation and used it to escape the tower on your own. You abandoned us, Erza. Me, Simon, Millianna, Sho - you left everyone behind to save your own skin." Jellal continued to torture the redhead, his lips curving in a sinister smile.

"No!"

Erza tightly grasped her head with her hands, as she sulked in her spot. She was trembling, the sudden meeting shaking her right to her core. She tightly closed her eyes, almost like a child, who tried to hide away from monsters.

"Erza."

Just before she was hit by her usual wave of memories, she was brought back to the earth by someone's voice. It was kind, soothing and understanding. She opened her eyes and felt someone gently grab her neck and pull it, until her forehead met with something hard.

It turned out to be Natsu, who grabbed Erza's neck with his right hand and pulled it towards himself, meeting her forehead with his. He locked his onyx eyes with hers, his gentle breath gently spreading over her skin.

"Calm down." he said quietly. "Don't let this guy get into your head, he's not worth it."

The knight stared into his eyes with awe, his voice already starting to soothe her troubled mind.

"I don't know what your connection with this guy is, but even an idiot like me can see just how full of shit he is. Don't let yourself be tied down by the likes of him."

Erza was now even more shocked. "What are you..."

"I know it will sound pathetic." continued Natsu. "But right now, you're the closest person I have. I've lived on my own for years, to the point where I actually forgot what emotions feel like. And then, you showed me kindness that I'd have never expected after the rough start we both had. For that, I will never be able to pay you back, but there's something I can do for you. Since you forced me to make you a promise, allow me to return the favor."

He then pressed his forehead against Erza's even harder, actually hurting her a little.

"We're both bound by our demons, and we both showed them to each other. I'm a lost cause, but you can still do it."

Erza blinked in confusion, not entirely following him.

"Promise me that by the time we walk out of this tower, you will no longer be bound by this place. Be it this guy, or this tower itself - tomorrow, you will be a free woman. You're strong enough to do it. Kill this demon, use your strength and cut its head off. Got it?"

After hearing these words, Erza felt wetness on her left cheek, a single tear finding its way out of her eye. Natsu's words , although quite crude, moved her the way she never felt before, filling her with an unusual feeling of safety and courage. Just in this little space around them, she felt safe.

Erza smiled lightly and took a hold of Natsu's hand with her own. She took it off her neck and brought it down, gently holding it in her armored palm.

"I'll try." she said with a cheeky smile, her trembling gone.

Natsu snorted in amusement and grinned as well. "'Touché." He then freed his hand from Erza's and turned around, facing Jellal once again, the smile on his face fading away.

"I'd never expect to see you involved in such a touching moment, Salamander." said Jellal.

Natsu did not reply, and instead started to walk towards the Commandment. Jellal took his hands off his chest and walked away from the wall, anticipating an attack. It never came, however, as Natsu simply passed him and started to make his way up the stairs.

"You really think showing your back to me is a good idea?" asked Jellal, clearly insulted after being ignored, his previously carefree and confident tone replaced by a slightly irritated one.

Natsu stopped on the fourth step and gently turned his head around. "You're free to try."

Erza watched both men, tension between them reaching unbearable levels. After what felt like minutes, Jellal chuckled to himself.

"Well played." was all he said, before shifting his attention back onto Erza.

Natsu waited for few more seconds and started to walk up the stairs, disappearing in the shadows shortly after.

"Well then. Now that the biggest obstacle is out of the way..." began Jellal. "We can finally talk."

Erza glared into his eyes and picked up her sword, pointing it at him. "There's nothing to talk about. You're a part of this, therefore, you're my enemy."

"Am I?" questioned The Heavens. "I just let Salamander pass right by me, allowing him to meet Silva, something all the Commandments below risked their life for, to not let it happen under these circumstances. The way I see it, we're allies."

The knight felt her eyes narrow. "What do you mean?"

"Do you honestly think Silva's goal is just resurrecting Zeref?" asked Jellal. "This man isn't nearly half as clever as he thinks he is."

"What in the world are you talking about?" shot Erza.

"Truthfully, it'd be for the best if Salamander and Silva killed each other, thus removing themselves from my way." continued the man, ignoring the redhead. "Even I wouldn't be able to take them both on my own."

"Jellal!"

Erza's scream finally gained his attention.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, her voice slightly calmer and quieter.

Jellal locked his eyes with her brown irises, a slight feeling of nostalgia filling his heart.

"I guess I might as well tell you." he said. "You're an important piece in my plans, you deserve at least as much."

He then started to walk towards Erza, making slow, but steady steps. He stopped just few feet away from her, his eyes glued to hers.

"Let's start from the beginning, shall we?"

Tower of Heaven, Christina

Wendy wiped the sweat off her forehead, after successfully healing some of Mirajane's minor injuries. The ship was crowded and filled with people, clad in some spare blankets and their injuries patched up by the Trimens. It's been twenty minutes since Juvia brought a group of slaves onto the ship, much to their suprise. Upon hearing her, Gray hid in the other room, afraid of being seen in his current state. He decided to make it his own recovery area, where he rested after being treated by Hibiki.

Wendy shifted her attention at Mira once again, losing herself in the sight. She was lying right next to Gajeel, both of their lives no longer in danger, both of them sleeping peacefully. Gajeel's shoulder was now closed and his leg tightly wrapped in bandages, but not tight enough to cut the flow of blood. Mirajane's hand was much more tricky to heal, as Wendy had to personally cut the burnt, hanging skin with scissors, and then treat it with a mix of special ointment and her magic.

"Take a break, Wendy-chan."

The girl was brought back from her trance by Hibiki, who was currently wrapping an elderly woman's head with bandages. "You've been pushing yourself for a while now. Take a break, we can manage on our own."

Wendy shook her head. "I'm fine, Hibiki-san. I can't sit when everyone else is doing their best."

The man smiled. "I see. In that case, please take a look at Gray-san. I can't help but think I did something wrong while treating him, I'd feel much better if an expert took a look at it."

Wendy mumbled something about not being an expert, but complied to Hibiki's suggestion and made her way through the room. She stepped out and headed directly into Gray's room.

"Gray-san, I'm here to check up on-" she started, before feeling her eyes widen.

"Hibiki-san!"

Wendy's scream scared the man, but he quickly threw what he was doing aside and chased after the voice, quickly catching up to it. He stormed into the room and quickly checked it out.

Gray was done, the blanket he was resting on bloodied and left on the floor. The window was open, the cold, night wind getting into the ship.

"That idiot!" breathed out angry Hibiki, before running out in order to alarm Ichiya.

Wendy picked up the blanket and felt her heart ache at the sight of the blood. She then looked out the window, a fresh, bloody trail spreading up the white stairs.

"Gray-san..."

Tower of Heaven, First Floor

Gray breathed heavily and clutched his aching right side. Despite being able to walk, the pain was still there, not making the journey any less challenging. He passed by the battlefield, walking around the hole in the ground, made by Mirajane not even an hour ago.

His knees bent under his weight, making him drop onto the ground. Panting heavily, he lifted himself off the floor and molded an ice crutch, which he used to support himself. He then glared into the shadows, his thoughts focused on one particular person.

"Just you wait. I'm coming for you."

End of Chapter 11. To be continued in Chapter 12: The Beast's Howling.'


	12. The Beast's Howling Part 1

**First minutes of November 24th, Tower of Heaven, Fifth Floor**

"Well then, shall we begin?"

Laxus' brow twitched in irritation. The eagerness of his opponent played on his nerves.

"You asked for it, old man." breathed the Dragon Slayer before dashing at the elder.

Laxus quickly found himself effectively closing the distance between him and Arthur, until he felt himself slowing down. Clicking his tongue in irritation, he continued to make his way through already stopped time and pulled back his arm, which now felt like it weighed a ton. The Time swiftly dodged the strike and pushed a knife from beneath his sleeve, slashing at the blonde, who leaned back just in time to avoid getting cut on his face. Before Arthur could regain his position, Laxus answered with a left hook that was blocked by the man. Arthur pushed Laxus' arm aside and answered with a kick underneath his chin, rocking his head upwards. He then jumped back just as Laxus' lowered his head. He kicked the ground much harder than before and caught the suprised Commandment with a right straight that pushed him back and knocked him off balance.

Laxus followed the man, clad in his lightning and continued his barrage with a right kick that smashed Arthur into the ground. He then tried to stomp the elder, who rolled out of the way and kicked Laxus' only leg touching the ground, tripping him in the process. Arthur gracefully stood up and jumped back, only to then start running in a circle around Laxus, who was now back on his feet. As the blonde wondered what the elder was doing, he felt his eyes widen at the sight of multiple Arthur's running circles around him, as the man multiplied. After a short moment they all stopped in their tracks and threw themselves at Laxus, who responded by jumping upwards, effectively avoiding all of them. Or so he thought, as he felt someone flying above him, only to be met with Arthur's elderly face right before his. The Time kicked Laxus in the jaw, rocking him so hard he barely stayed conscious and crashed him into the ground, where the rest of his afterimages waited for their chance to finish the Dragon Slayer. Feeling anger building up, Laxus put his hand on the ground and electrocuted it, shocking every single one of Arthur's copies. As it turned out, the original was also amongst them, as he buckled over, grunting from pain. Laxus used this moment and delivered a powerful punch to the man's stomach, lightning spreading all over his body from the struck place. Arthur was blown back and landed on his back, sliding on the ground.

After this strike, Laxus' body became lighter, with time resuming its flow. Before he could take a breath, however, Laxus picked up a familiar sound with his ears and looked up, only to see a storm of knives making their way towards him. He clenched his fist and swatted them away with a big lightning, the blades falling onto the ground. The blonde finally breathed out, his chest burning and his heart pounding like crazy. Despite being able to move within Arthur's magic thanks to the lacrima implanted into his chest, Laxus' human body still weighed him down, greatly crippling his abilities.

With Arthur still on the ground, Laxus grit his teeth and, despite the heaviness of his body, rushed at the elder. He got in position above the man and pulled back his right arm, striking with it. Arthur rolled away from the punch, which connected with the floor and put his right hand on the ground, which he used to support himself and pushed the ground, as he kicked Laxus underneath his chin once again. He then grabbed his right arm and kicked him in the chest with his other leg. He did this three times before pushing Laxus away and rolling back. As soon as he raised his head he was met with a fist coated in lightning, with a furious Laxus landing a powerful left low uppercut on the elder's quickly put up guard. Arthur felt his nose being squashed and his arms becoming numb from both the force of the strike and the lightning that spread right into his nerves. Laxus gave his strike one final push and sent Arthur flying, immediately chasing after him. Before Arthur could react, Laxus caught up to him in the air and grinded him into the ground with his fist, which was once again blocked. Arthur once again stopped time, effectively weighing Laxus down and quickly grabbed a hold of his arm, swiftly wrapping it in an armbar. He then pushed his legs and secured Laxus underneath his weight. Knowing full well he wouldn't hold the Dragon Slayer for long, Arthur released his left arm off Laxus' and pulled out another knife, before bringing it down, aiming at the blonde's unguarded heart. Laxus quickly covered his body in lightning, which blocked most of the impact, however the tip still pierced his skin. Laxus forcefully pulled his arm out and tried to strike Arthur, who quickly rolled backwards and jumped away, time resuming once again.

Laxus stood up and panted heavily, unable to cover it. He reached down and pulled the knife out of his chest, before throwing it away.

"It appears countering my magic takes a major toll on your body." noted Arthur. "Unfortunately, it seems like our battle will be a short one."

"As if you're any different." panted Laxus. Although he did a good job of hiding it, Arthur was also heaving trouble breathing. "But I gotta say, for an assassin, you're unusually eager to be out in the open." noticed Laxus. "I thought guys like you hide in shadows and never show their face around."

"Correct." replied shortly The Time. "But that is not my current occupation anymore, therefore, I can put my old rules aside. Enjoying a battle with this magic of mine is one of my old dreams, and as of now, you're fulfilling it magnificently."

"Still, seems like this magic of yours is quite dangerous."

Arthur raised an eyebrow at this statement, slightly confused.

"Other may not have picked it up, but since my ears are special, I found out your weakness." smirked Laxus and tapped his right ear with his finger. "Every time you use your magic, your heart stops. That's why you're out of breath. You don't stop time, you simply freeze everything and everyone around you at the cost of your heartbeat, creating an illusion of frozen time."

Arthur's eyes narrowed, as he sighed through his nose. For the first time since he showed himself, he looked angry. "As expected...is what I should be saying right now, but for some reason, I feel a slight sense of defeat. Nobody has ever figured out the truth behind my magic. Consider my pride hurt. I suppose taking this seriously and killing you will be a sufficient payment for this embarrassment. Now, let us continue. I believe you bought enough time to recover."

Laxus clicked his tongue. There was no way around Arthur's keen nose.

The elder tapped the floor with the tip of his right shoe and dashed at Laxus in a mad run, unusual for a man of his age. Laxus' eyes widened in suprise, before feeling his body double in weight once again. Arthur easily jumped over his overhand right and kicked Laxus in the back while in the air. This staggered the blonde, who had to awkwardly run for couple steps. He clenched his fist and threw a powerful backfist, only to hit nothing but air, as Arthur was once again above him, this time higher. Time resumed its flow, and Laxus was met with a shower of knives flying in his direction. Just when he was about to jump back, he noticed that the blades have suddenly skipped few meters while in the air and plunged themselves all over his body. Laxus loudly grunted in pain as stinging pain burned his shoulders, legs and forearms. None of the blades entered deep, but they still hurt.

Laxus jumped back and flexed his body, the blades popping out of him. Small rivers of blood streamed down his legs, arms and chest, as he wondered what the hell happened.

"It appears you're still ahead of me when it comes to the number of our weaknesses."

Laxus quickly turned around in search of Arthur, but the man was already gone. Confused, he picked up his scent right behind him. He quickly threw another backfist, only to miss again.

"Although you are practically immune to my magic, there's still a small window where you're just as affected as other people."

Laxus once again threw his neck and finally noticed Arthur, who was currently standing good 20 feet away from him.

"By my count, it lasts around one second, however, for me it's more than enough." continued Arthur, before pulling on his gloves. "It allows me to do this."

All of a sudden, Laxus felt sharp pain in his right side. Before he could react, he felt two more strikes being landed on his heart and right shoulder. Gasping from pain and shock, he noticed that Arthur was standing right in front of him, his hands behind his back. Laxus grit his teeth and pulled his right arm back, ready to strike. He felt his head being knocked back, with Arthur not moving even an inch. Two more strikes to his stomach and the Dragon Slayer found himself on his knees, his hands on the aching area.

"This is how it should be from the very beginning." whispered Arthur and put his foot on Laxus' head, earning himself a hateful look from the blonde. "Letting my personal feelings get in the way of my mission was foolish, I guess I really am getting old."

Laxus tried to catch the elder by suprise and threw a small combo of a short uppercut and long left hook, but once again, his fist met nothing. Now back on his feet, he jumped away and turned his body into lightning, searching the area with his senses, ready to counterattack. He caught a small sound behind him and threw a **Heavenward Halberd,** hoping to catch the Commandment by suprise. Instead, he felt his ribs bending under the weight of Arthur's kick, which knocked the wind out of him. The elder then dodged a giant lightning thrown by Laxus and kicked him in the kidneys, making him fall onto his face. He quickly got up and turned his body into lightning again, flying across the floor. Suddenly, he felt multiple knives passing right through him. Locked onto his target, he closed the distance in an instant and pulled his arm back, ready to strike. With his fist mere centimeters away from Arthur's old face, Laxus smirked in triumph, only to be kicked in the lower back, with enough force to bend him into a bow. Laxus crashed into the floor and slid on it, the pain in his back spreading throughout his legs as well.

"You may be able to turn yourself into lightning and use it to maneuver and dodge attack, but you are unable to attack in this form, thus, you are forced to resume your physical appearance for the moment of strike. Unfortunately for you, I'm not that old or slow to miss that moment. You have no chance of winning." exclaimed Arthur.

Laxus clenched his fists, both of them crackling dangerously and stood up, ready to fight again. Before he was given a chance to attack, he felt himself being blown back, blood escaping his mouth.

"Enemies of Master Silva must be eliminated." whispered The Time, before continuing his onslaught.

* * *

**Tower of Heaven, Fourth Floor**

Lucy panted heavily as she run across the prison, her chest burning and her throat aching from panting. She was soaking wet and covered in bruises from all the impacts Juvia's water had with her body. For the past 15 minutes she did nothing but run away and call out to Juvia, hoping she finally gets through to her friend. Just when she was about to do it once again, she heard the already familiar sound and lowered her head, dodging a sharp blade made out of water flying right above her head. The attack hit the wall behind her and cut right through it, leaving a curved cut.

"Juvia, please! Come to your senses!" she cried to her friend, who was once again chasing after her in fury.

Her only response was a stream of water that hit her straight in the back and sent her flying along with the current. She rolled on the ground, her whole body sore and achy. She stood up with great difficulty and threw herself to the right to avoid yet another attack.

"Gray is alive! He's messing with your mind, please, wake up!" Lucy tried to get to Juvia one more time.

The bluenette grimaced in fury and swiped her hand to the right. Before she could react, Lucy was trapped in a ball of water.

"Don't you dare speak his name." whispered menacingly Juvia.

The sound of clapping reached Lucy's ears, with Luppi standing on the side, clearly amused by the turn of events happening before him.

"I can't believe how amusing this is." he chuckled to himself. "One fake memory and we have ourselves a true spectacle. You know, I thought she'd at least struggle and question whether her friend could really do such a thing, but instead, she went full psycho. If I were you, I'd hate the one who let her into your guild, she's clearly insane."

Lucy glared at the Commandment with pure hatred. She never despised someone as much as she hated him. She didn't keep it for long, though, as her air supply was running out, water making its way down her throat. She fought as hard as she could to reach out to her keys, but her arms were simply too heavy to do it. Just when she thought it was over, she felt air filling her nose and water escaping her mouth.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a big ball of light crashed into the water prison, breaking it in the process. Lucy fell out and coughed loudly, her throat and lungs burning, as she desperately gasped for air. She opened her teary eyes and noticed Loke standing in front of her, ready to protect her once again.

"Loke..." she breathed out weakly, a small smile forming on her face, relieved to see him.

The spirit turned around and smiled back. "Sorry for making you wait. It took me a while to get back to earth. But now that I'm here..."

He then turned around, his face twisting in an angry grimace. "It's payback time."

"Loke, don't!" cried out Lucy. "He did something to her! She's not doing it out of her free will!"

"Even if you tell me that, I can't hold back." retorted Loke. He closely watched Juvia, who was constantly trying to walk around him, trying to get to Lucy.

"Move out of the way." she growled.

"I don't think I will." replied Loke before covering his fist in light.

Juvia grunted and shot a giant stream of water in his direction. The spirit put up his hand and blocked it, the liquid breaking upon impact with his extended palm. The water splashed in all directions, successfully blocked. He then grabbed the water with his fingers and swiped his arm to the right, dispelling the attack. Juvia looked at him shocked, while his expression was rather stoic.

"You may have caught me by suprise earlier, but it won't happen again." he said quietly. "I'm ending this pointless fight, here and now."

Loke quickly dashed at Juvia and caught up to her. He clenched his fist, which was bright enough to blind everyone on the floor and struck it into her stomach, not giving her a chance to turn her body into water.

**_REGULUS IMPACT!_ **

The strike doubled Juvia over, saliva escaping her mouth. She hanged on Loke's arm, motionless, a quiet, long gasp escaping her mouth. After couple seconds, her eyes closed on their own, as she fell unconscious. Loke gently wrapped his arms around her and picked her up bridal style, before carrying her over to Lucy's side. Luppi watched this scene with irritation written on his face, clearly not fond of the idea of fighting on his own once again.

Loke placed Juvia right next to Lucy and smiled reassuringly at the blonde. "Don't worry. I'll finish this." He then kicked the ground as hard as he could, breaking it into large pieces. He picked up two of them and set them up before Lucy and Juvia, almost as if shielding them. "Stay here and don't peek out. I won't let him control either of you any longer."

Just before Lucy could protest, Loke was already walking in Luppi's direction, who was also walking up to the spirit.

"Things just can't go my way, can they?" he whined, before pulling out his knife.

"Not while I'm here." retorted Loke and clenched his fists, light covering them once again. "I hope you're ready, punk."

* * *

**Tower of Heaven, Sixth Floor**

"What did you say?!"

Erza didn't mean to scream, but her reaction was still absolutely justified. She kept her eyes locked on Jellal's face, his words sinking deep into her soul, filling her with deep sense of terror. "There's no way something like that would ever work!"

Jellal smirked at her reaction. "I'm glad we're on the same page, Erza. I hope now you understand my wish of stopping Silva from doing something this cruel."

Erza's eyes narrowed. On one hand, she didn't trust him even one bit. On the other, his reaction seemed unusually genuine.

"Is that why you let Natsu pass right by you? So that he did the dirty work for you?" she asked, trying to pull him by his tongue.

"Even I am not powerful enough to take down Silva on my own." replied Jellal. "And with the other Commandments around, there was no way I could ever get in his way. Until you arrived with your little army, that is. Now, I am finally capable of putting a stop to Silva's madness."

"Is that why you said I was essential to your plans? You wanted to use me and my friends to make a path for your own, personal desires?" she asked.

The Commandment chuckled lightly. "Not exactly. You see, with all the Commandments and Salamander dead, I'll finally be able to fulfill what I've always been meant to do. What I was entrusted with 7 years ago, when you abandoned me to die."

Erza clenched her fists, not letting him provoke her. She knew he was trying to win her over by pulling on her weaknesses. She couldn't help but feel disgust spreading all over her chest: whoever this was, he was no longer the Jellal she knew.

Jellal spread his arms and lifted his head upwards, looking at the ceiling. He looked like a preacher, ready to share his words with his audience. "In the darkest hour, he was the one who reached out to me. He was the one who showed me the truth, he was the one who saved me from my enslavement. When all my enemies destroy each other, and Luppi does the one, only thing he's ever been useful for, I will finally bring back the true ruler of this world. Together with Zeref, I will create the perfect world we've always been meant to live in!"

If Erza was disgusted earlier, now she felt plain sick. She stared at Jellal with widened, angry eyes, unable to form proper sentences. "Have you lost your mind?"

"No. I woke up. I realised what we're living in right now, is a world of lies. I will tear it down and make a new, true world along with Zeref. To achieve that, I will sacrifice your body, Erza." he whispered. "You were the beginning of this, and you will be the end as well. With your death, the circle will be complete. Zeref will return to this world, and reclaim what is rightfully his."

Erza exhaled through her nose and spread her legs apart, getting into a fighting stance. She then Requipped into her Black Wing Armor, and pointed her blade at Jellal. "You've lost your mind. There is no other explanation for this madness."

Jellal smirked at her words. "Be it through force or your own will, you will fulfill your duty. It's your fault I'm like this, Erza. Take responsibility."

The knight's eyes narrowed sorrowly, as she repeated Natsu's words in her head like a chant. "I have no intention of taking a part in your insanity. I will put a stop to you, Jellal."

The Heavens removed his cloak, revealing a skin-tight battle outfit, dark in color on the area of his stomach, chest, and foreams, with the rest being of a slightly brighter shade of said color. Groups of three thin lines ran up his arms and legs, starting from the very end of the sleeves. He was wearing black combat boots, very similar to Natsu's, and his hands were protected by white gloves.

"You will try." he whispered menacingly, green energy glowing around his body.

Erza grit her teeth and kicked the ground, flying at her former friend. The great speed of her armor allowed her to quickly close the distance and slash at Jellal's neck. The man simply smiled, even with the knight's blade mere centimeters away from his neck.

**_METEOR_ **

Erza's sword cut through the air, completely missing its target. Disorientated, she looked around in search of him, only to feel dull pain on her back, as Jellal kicked her in-between her wings. Erza took couple steps forward and slashed back at the man, once again missing him. She noticed him right by the ceiling, her eyes widening in suprise.

Jellal was moving so fast the only thing he was leaving behind was green glow. His entire body was covered in a green ball of light, that greatly increased his movements. He landed his feet on the ceiling and rushed directly at Erza, who responded with a quick horizontal slash. He quickly jumped over it and aimed yet another kick at the knight's back, which she gracefully blocked with her sword. She flexed her arms and pushed him back, knocking him out of balance for a short moment, which was long enough to let Erza send one more strike in his direction, which he ultimately ended up dodging.

"You'll have to do better than that if you wish to catch up to my speed." he mocked her, before flying towards the ceiling once again. Erza kicked the ground and followed him, flapping her wings at their highest speed. She continued to slash at Jellal, her attacks too sluggish to catch him. For each of her failed strikes, she received one in return, with Jellal openly toying with her. Feeling anger take over her mind, she threw her sword at Jellal's face, only to have him headslip to his left and let the blade pass right beside his head and plant itself in the wall. Erza summoned two axes and used them to aimlessly hack at the man, still nowhere near his speed. Jellal ducked right under her right arm and kicked her in the abdomen, making her cough up some blood. He dragged her in the air with his leg, before giving it a final push and sending her flying towards the ground, making her crash into it.

The man then hovered back onto the ground, his eyes focused on the cloud of smoke and dust. He knew it was not enough to bring Titania down. However, when after couple seconds Erza still hadn't come out of the smoke, he started to believe it was already over.

**_REQUIP: FLIGHT ARMOR!_ **

Erza kicked the ground as hard as she could and dashed towards Jellal, flying out of the dust cloud. The man smirked in amusement, glad that she was still on her feet and sidestepped away from her strike. The knight circled around and followed him, repeatedly attacking him with her weapons.

The Commandment continued to dodge her strikes, his cocky smile never leaving his face. He ducked under Erza's thrust and struck her in the stomach with his fist. Erza grit her teeth in pain and slid back, with Jellal following her. She did not wait for him and stepped in as well, slashing at him vertically with her right sword, only to see him slip out of her weapon's range. She followed through by thrusting her sword into his face, but he dodged it by sidestepping to his left.

Erza did not give up and switched the position of her right arm. From beneath her still extended left hand she slashed horizontally at Jellal, nearly catching his nose with the tip of her blade. The man's smile faded away at the sight of her weapon so close to his face, his confidence beginning to take light damage. Erza then turned around to face him and threw her left sword directly at him, forcing him to move out of the way. Because of this attack, he had to take his eyes off of the knight, who used it to her advantage.

Erza quickly closed the distance between her and Jellal and slashed at him with her last remaining weapon. He dodged it yet again, however this time, Erza was ready. By predicting his movements, she quickly followed through with a right high kick, catching the man directly across his face. His head was slightly blown away to the side, his face expressing pure shock and disbelief. He turned around to look at Erza, only to see her brown, terrifying eyes in front of his. He quickly backstepped away from the knight, dodging her attack at the last second.

Erza turned her body around and threw her weapon into Jellal once again, this time more as a distraction. While he was busy dodging the sword flying right past his face, Erza ran up to him, bright light surrounding her figure.

_**REQUIP: PURGATORY ARMOR!** _

Using the element of suprise, Erza decided to go for a sure, one hit victory. She lifted her giant club above her head and brought it down onto Jellal, who flew away just in time to avoid a devastating strike that shook the entire floor. Sick and tired of Erza's persistence, he dashed towards her, ready to counter attack, only to see her back in her **Flight Armor** right in front of his face.

 _"She's switching back and forth between this and other armors?!"_ he thought in disbelief while dodging her sword, which left a slight cut on his cheek.

Erza once again started a barrage of thrusts in his direction, forcing him to strain himself in order to dodge them all. Feeling anger building up inside of him, he ducked right under Erza's thrust and struck her stomach with his right hand, only to feel it being blocked by the woman's left sword. Not wasting this chance, Erza headbutted him in the nose and kicked him in the stomach, before catching up to his sliding figure and slashing his chest, blood spurting out of the wound.

Jellal slid on the floor, his head leaned towards the ground. After few meters he finally stopped and sighed through his nose. He looked at his chest wound, which was much more shallow than Erza expected it to be and touched it with his fingers. He looked at the blood on his hand and smeared it in-between his fingers and then shifted his gaze at Erza.

"Perhaps I've underestimated you." he said. His voice was calm, however, it reminded Erza of a frozen lake. Under his calm tone, there was a vast amount of built up anger and fury. "But, perhaps that is just my own mistake. You're worthy of the title of a Wizard Saint, trying to preserve my magic power while fighting you was idiotic. I'll have to postpone my plans for a little longer, but I think it's the right time I took you seriously."

His feet left the ground, as he started to lift himself in the air. Erza followed him with her eyes, before feeling them widen in shock at the sight before her.

"When did you-"

"This is the difference between us, Erza." he cut her off.

Above him were seven big magic circles, all of them connected by a thick line of green energy. They were all aimed directly at Erza, immense magic power gathering inside of them.

The Heavens put his right hand over his left one, his index and middle fingers being the only ones spread out, aimed at Erza.

"Be judged by Seven Stars." he muttered.

**_GRAND CHARIOT!_ **

Seven powerful beams of light were launched in Erza's direction, quickly closing in to her shocked face. An enormous explosion of light shook the entire floor, the impact cracking the floor and walls all over the floor, pieces of debris flying in all directions. Jellal softly landed on the ground, anticipating the results of his attack.

"Is this your definition of serious?"

Jellal's eyes shot wide open in shock at the sound of Erza's voice. When the dust finally settled, he was met with the sight of Erza, clad in her freshly repaired **Adamantine Armor,** her shields raised high above her head. They were battered in, some cracks appearing on their surface, but other than that, Erza was completely fine and unharmed.

"I suppose I was worried for no reason. You disappoint me, Jellal." said Erza, before Requipping back to her **Flight Armor**.

Jellal exhaled through his nose and resumed his fighting pose. It was clear she was trying to provoke him, but her words still made him feel unusual sense of irritation and hurt hurt pride, which fueled his anger even further.

"You will regret your insolence."

* * *

**Tower of Heaven, Fourth Floor**

Lucy continued to grip the piece of debris she was hiding behind so hard her knuckles hurt. She helplessly watched Loke being beaten by Luppi, who started to be much more vicious with his attacks. Despite not having the same biology as humans, it was clear to her that Loke was on his absolute limit.

The spirit threw a barrage of punches at the teenager, who, despite his bad condition, dodged every single one of his attacks. As soon as Loke retracted his fists to rest for a moment, he stepped in and punched him in the stomach. He then slashed at him with his knife, missing just by the skin of teeth, with Loke leaning his throat back at the last second. The Commandment clicked his tongue in annoyance and kicked the spirit in the chest, pushing him away.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is, fighting you and controlling the entire Council at the same time?" asked Luppi. "Drop dead already, will ya?"

Loke did not respond, and instead wiped his panting mouth with his sleeve. He ligt his fists once again and bent his knees, ready to attack again. Luppi simply sighed at the sight and resumed his position. "Give me a break."

Both men started to fight once again, with Loke receiving the first strike. Lucy clenched her teeth so hard they hurt and watched the fight from afar.

"There has to be something I can do." she whispered to herself, angry at her helplessness. She looked to her side, where Juvia was sleeping, as she recalled what happened to her friend. "If I go out, I'll end up like Juvia. But if I stay here, Loke will suffer."

Just when she thought there was no way out of the situation, she felt gears turn in her head the right way, an idea forming in her mind. She couldn't help but feel her lips curve in a small grin, as she stood up from the ground. "I think Erza's recklessness is rubbing off on me." she whispered.

Loke once again tried to land a hit on Luppi, who caught his arm by the wrist and pulled him towards himself, nailing the spirit with a kick to his abdomen. Loke buckled over, allowing Luppi to kick him under the chin and send him fly upwards, before landing on his back. Loke quickly tried to stand up, which came with great difficulty after the abuse he received, and put up his guard once again.

"That's enough!"

The sudden call caused Loke's eyes to shoot wide open, making him quickly turn his head in the direction of the voice. It belonged to Lucy, who was currently walking across the prison in their direction, her step quick and angry.

"What the hell are you doing here?! Step back!" he yelled out to her. Just when his mouth closed, she stopped in her place. her eyes losing their focus, as she stood still like a doll. Loke grit his teeth in anger and turned back to Luppi, who was smirking in triumph.

"I think fate is playing hard to get." he whispered.

"You bastard!" yelled Loke and threw himself at The Mind, who quickly stepped out of the way and got behind the spirit. He followed him in pursuit, before forcing himself to come to a halt, with Luppi now standing right behind Lucy. The Commandment walked up to the blonde so close he was leaning on her with his body and smelled her neck.

"I really can't figure out whether this chick is dumb as bricks, or smart. She just keeps suprising me." he laughed, as he wrapped his arms around her. "Now then, Mister Spirit. I have a deal for you."

Loke was at boiling point. No matter hos hard he tried, he couldn't come up with a way to get out of this situation. Trying to buy more time, he bit the bait. "What kind of a deal?"

"A very simple one." replied Luppi almost immediately. "Since I can't force her to close the gate, I'm pretty sure you came here on your own. I want you to disappear, and leave both of us alone. Otherwise, I'll snap her neck right here, right now."

His hands were now wrapped around Lucy's chin and top of her head, as he already started to push her head at an angle.

"If I leave, you'll kill them both." snarled furious Loke.

"Yes, but then you don't have to watch it. I say it's a good deal." hummed Luppi and bent Lucy's neck even further.

Loke lowered his head in anger and shame. His fists were clenched so hard he almost drew blood. Memories of his previous Master resurfaced in his mind, reminding him of the guilt he felt when she died. Now, she was about to relive it once again. Just when he was about to give up, he noticed someone behind Luppi and couldn't help but feel major weight being lifted off his chest. Unable to contain himself, he grinned.

Luppi blinked in confusion at the sight before him and felt Lucy begin to struggle in his arms. Now completely lost, he fought with the girl, until she bent her beck backwards at an unnatural angle, a wide grin on her face, her eyes completely rid of pupils.

"Would you mind letting go? It hurts us." she said in a dual, childish voice, scaring the Commandment.

"What the-" he exclaimed and quickly let go of her. Before he could say anything else, he felt something tightly wrapping itself on his beck. He reached out to his throat, his hands meeting a whip. He turned around and felt his eyes open in shock, with another Lucy standing behind him.

"Leave my spirits alone." she muttered quietly and pulled on the weapon, putting more pressure on Luppi's neck.

"Nice job, Lucy." smirked Loke and lit up his fist as hard as he could.

Luppi watched him approach with his fist lighting up more and more with each step. Terror filling his heart, he tried to forcefully free himself from the hold, but before he could succeed, it was already too late.

**_REGULUS IMPACT!_ **

Loke drove his fist into Luppi's open abdomen, folding the teenager like a pocket knife. Blood escaped his mouth along with a loud gasp, the light spreading all over his body. Lucy let go of her whip and Loke gave it one last push, before sending the Commandment flying, as he rolled on the ground, before stopping on his stomach, lying few meters away, motionless.

Loke panted heavily, exhausted and about to disappear, but he still managed to give Lucy his trademark smile. The girl smiled back with a grin of her own, happy they finally defeated their opponent.

"I sure hope it's finally over." panted Loke. "I'm sick of this kid."

"I think we all are." answered Lucy and turned around to face her other self. She smiled kindly at her doppelganger. "We wouldn't have done it without you, Gemini. Thank you."

Smoke covered the other Lucy, revealing two little spirits, who danced in the air. "It really hurt!" they said in unison.

"I know. I'll make it up to you!" Lucy clapped her hands in front of her face, as if asking for forgiveness.

"Now, the Chairman should be free from his control." threw in Loke and walked up to Lucy. The blonde then twitched a little, but turned around and smiled at him.

"Yes." she said shortly. She then bent down and picked up Luppi's knife.

Loke looked around the floor, looking for the exit. "Now, I think it'd be for the best if you-"

His sentence was interrupted by a knife entering his throat. Loke looked to his left in shock, his eyes locking onto Lucy, who was currently holding the knife stuck in his neck. Her eyes were empty, her expression nonchalant, even bored. She swiped the knife to her right, slashing the spirit's neck, causing him to forcefully disappear from this world. Before he vanished, however, with the corner of his eye he noticed Luppi, who was currently standing up. Blood dripped from his mouth, his breath raspy, his face greener than fresh leaves. The teenager bent down and threw up from the strain caused by his magic. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and looked over at the pair, hatred in his eyes.

"After all this, I can't even kill you. Talk about unfair." he breathed out.

Loke's eyes narrowed in defeat, as he finally went back home. Luppi then took a deep breath and gave Lucy another order. The girl grabbed Gemini's key and held it in front of her.

_**FORCED GATE CLOSURE: GEMINI!** _

The two little spirits were sent back to the Celestial Spirit World, leaving Lucy alone with The Mind. The teenager looked at the girl with fury written on his face.

"To think because of you, our 7 year long plan almost got fucked." he snarled at her. "I'll enjoy watching this."

Lucy raised the knife and aimed it at her throat. She then put it close to her exposed, stretched neck.

"Do it." he commanded her.

Lucy obediently pushed the knife down her throat, the tip gently piercing her skin. Luppi smiled wickedly at the sight, before feeling it fade away, anger once again taking over his mind. The blonde was now fighting the order, the last remaining bit of her subconsciousness trying to overpower Luppi's magic.

"I must have overused my magic. I can barely hold her in check." The Mind whispered to himself, his head clutching his aching head. "Just hurry up and stab yourself you dumb bitch!" he roared desperately.

Just when Lucy was about to push the knife down her neck, Luppi's sight was covered by a large amount of water, which swept him away from his spot and brutally crashed him into a nearby wall, knocking the wind out of him along with his control over Lucy.

The blonde then dropped to her knees and gasped loudly, the blade falling out of her hands. Despite all the fear and pain she felt, she cracked a smile at her blue-haired friend, who was currently helping her get back on her feet. "Thank you, Juvia."

The rain woman smiled back. "You're welcome." Her expression grew stern, as she shifted her gaze onto Luppi, who was already back on his feet. "Now, if you excuse me, I believe I have a score to settle."

Luppi glued his eyes onto Juvia. Despite his desire to slaughter both of these girls, he had to prioritize mission above everything else. Deciding that he was in no condition to fight anymore, he quickly turned on his feet and started to run, hoping to retreat safely back to his Master's place. Before he could get any far, however, he was met with a wall of water, which then threw itself at him, willing to trap him. Luppi jumped back to his previous spot and glared at Juvia, responsible for the attack.

"You're not getting away!" she exclaimed, before attacking him once again.

Luppi simply watched the vast amount of water make its way towards him, his expression unreadable. With the water mere few feet away from him, he closed his eyes and breathed out through his nose, before muttering three words.

"So be it."

* * *

**Tower of Heaven, Fifth Floor**

Laxus flew across the floor, his eyes and nose constantly searching for his opponent. He long gave up on using his ears, with Arthur's steps making absolutely no sound what so ever, a skill he learned during his time as an assassin. His body was heavy, majority of his vital points screaming out in pain from the constant abuse. Laxus decided it was better to stay on the move and avoid him for the time being, rather than taking a punishment every couple seconds.

Suddenly, his right ear twitched, which allowed him to quickly turn around and throw a lightning at a familiar sight of dozen of blades flying in his direction. He knocked them all away and quickly clenched his left fist, before throwing a blind backfist behind him, his fist flying just past the elder's face.

"Too bad." said the Commandment, before nailing Laxus with a sharp uppercut. The blonde quickly recovered and threw another barrage of punches, all of them dodged. Arthur jumped away to create some distance, but Laxus had none of that. He inhaled as much air as possible and puffed his cheeks out.

**_LIGHTNING DRAGON'S ROAR!_ **

An enormous blast of lightning escaped his mouth, making its way towards Arthur. The man quickly froze the entire floor and ran up to Laxus. He then resumed it just when he got close enough and put his hand on the Dragon Slayer's lower jaw. He pushed upwards, forcefully closing his mouth and cancelling the attack and quickly followed with a sharp, compact right hook to his jaw, rocking him hard. Laxus then answered with a blast of lightning, only to hit nothing but air. Just when he retracted his fist back, Arthur appeared out of thin air before him once again, a small smirk on his face.

Liver. Chin. Heart. Bridge of his nose. Kidneys. Inner thigh. Temple. In-between his shoulder blades.

Laxus' body was tossed around like a ragdoll, with powerful hits rocking his entire figure, as all the blows to said places hit him one by one, not giving him any time to react. During this assault, Arthur continued to stand before Laxus with his hands behind his back, mockingly resuming this position after each landed strike, making it look as if Laxus was being hit by thin air. The blonde felt darkness clouding his eyes, his strength leaving his body against his will. After the last strike, he could no longer feel his legs and dropped to his knees before the elder once again, completely at his mercy.

Arthur looked at the sorry state Laxus was in and sighed. "Perhaps I overdid it. Toying with our targets is frowned upon by assassins. I suppose the freedom given to me by Master Silva got to my head over the years. Forgive me, Laxus. Then again, your superb durability granted to you by your magic is truly remarkable. Nobody has ever survived this many strikes of mine."

Laxus weakly lifted his head to look at the man. "You speak of this Silva guy...like he was some sort of a god." he breathed out, ignoring the compliment.

Arthur nodded. "That's because Master Silva _is_ our God."

Laxus' raised eyebrow was the only answer the elder had received to this statement. Feeling the need to explain the situation, he continued.

"Years ago, I was caught during one of my missions. I was not a mage back then, you see. My skill could get me only so far against the likes of proficient mages. I was sentenced to death, and came to terms with it. That's where Master Silva'd found me. He showed me the truth of this world and shared his love with me. He gave me a new name and a new purpose in life, and it was at this moment that I decided to devote my life to his cause."

Laxus listened in silence, trying to recollect his strength back. Arthur continued his monologue in the meantime.

"All of the Commandments have been brought together by fate, and the very center of that fate is Master Silva. He took us in when the world had already given up on us, abandoned us. He gave us names and shared his wisdom with four of us, who were not gifted during birth, by giving us the very magics he had once trained very hard to master. In return for his kindness, we've been honored of naming him ourselves."

Arthur then spread his arms out. " **1st Commandment: The God**. That is the name we've entrusted our savior with. We live and die to serve him. His dream of resurrecting the true ruler of this world is our dream as well. And you, Laxus Dreyar." he added, before shifting his attention back to Laxus. "Are an obstacle on our way, that must be removed."

Laxus continued to look at Arthur, completely unimpressed by the speech. He sighed lightly, before speaking out. "I still don't get you people. Not that it matters, anyway. This fight is already over."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "You are in no condition to fight. Therefore, yes, the fight is already settled."

Laxus chuckled weakly. "Old age is truly disgusting. If I had met you few years ago, I'd have probably been dead already. But now, I actually have a chance."

The Time was starting to lose his temper. Did this youngster really think he still had a way out of this situation?

"Take a good look at me, and try to figure it out before it's too late." said Laxus, smirking.

Arthur listened to his words and searched his figure with his eyes, trying to find out what sort of an insane idea he still had. He looked at his hands and that's when it clicked. His old eyes widened, fear grasping his heart, but before he could react, it was already too late.

Laxus' sinister grin was the last thing he saw before the inevitable.

_**LIGHTNING DRAGON'S PILLAR!** _

A giant pillar of yellow lightning that erupted from beneath the floor swallowed Arthur whole, devouring him. Sparks and pieces of debris flew in all directions, as Laxus continued to pump his magic power into the floor. His hands were planted up to the middle of his forearms in the ground, where he sneakily put them during Arthur's monologue. **  
**

After couple more seconds, Laxus dispelled the attack, the pillar fading away. It revealed a burned Arthur, his suit torn and scorched, his body covered in light and medium burns, his entire figure constantly twitching against his will. His limbs were numb, his heart pounding at a ridiculous rate, making him unable to put his magic to good use.

"I'll admit, you're powerful. Your speed and timing are perfect. But even you can't dodge an attack you can't see coming." growled Laxus, as he stood up from his spot. He was in no better shape than the elder, but the fight wasn't over just yet.

He kicked the ground and threw himself at the elder, who in return jumped back, just as sluggishly. His hands glowed in bright light, as he Requipped another dozen of knives and threw them at the blonde, who swatted them away with a lightning. He caught up to the elder and punched him in the gut, but not before receiving a quick hit on his chin in return. Laxus took a wobbly step back, which allowed Arthur to follow up by stabbing a blade down Laxus' shoulder. The Dragon Slayer caught him by the wrist and headbutted the elder in the nose, before lifting him off the ground and throwing him at a nearby wall. He then reached out and pulled the blade out, blood flowing down his torso.

He quickly ran after the elder, who was already back on his feet. With his heart already back to normal, he froze Laxus once again and dashed himself, ready to counter attack. However, the damage taken from Laxus' attacks was too great, which greatly slowed him down and thus allowed the Dragon Slayer to block the strike, who was now past his one second of being completely frozen. Laxus delivered a swift hook to Arthur's face and kicked him in the gut, pushing him away. Time resumed again and Laxus felt the additional weight leave his shoulders.

An exchange of strikes erupted between both men, neither giving the other a chance to prevail. Arthur tried to sneak up a knife attack in-between each punch and kick, but Laxus' was already prepared for that and successfully predicted each of his slashes. Arthur then landed a punch on Laxus' liver and froze him in place for a moment, which he used to strike his heart with his palm. Laxus felt wind leaving his lungs once again, with Arthur unloading his strikes all over his body. The Dragon Slayer could only put up his guard and block them, his arms hurting more and more with each attack.

Arthur then tripped Laxus and chopped his neck, making him drop down to the floor. He then lifted his leg as high as he could and dropped his heel down where the blonde's head was, his feet making impact with the ground, as Laxus rolled out of the way at the last moment. He then got back up and tackled the elder with his weight, pushing him back. He then dashed forward and landed a right straight on Arthur's nose, making it bleed. He followed through with a left straight, but Arthur sidestepped out of the way and grabbed a hold of Laxus' extended arm, before smashing his fist into his elbow, crippling it.

Laxus grunted out in pain, his left hand now useless and then growled at the feeling of Arthur's elbow on his nose, who smashed it into his face and pushed him back. Laxus landed on his back and noticed a knife flying in his direction. He quickly put up his broken arm and used it to block the blade, which planted itself deep into his forearm. The blonde then rolled back and jumped away, pulling the blade out in the meantime. He threw it back at its owner, who shot it down with a knife of his own and bent his right arm backwards, which caused Arthur to stop in his tracks. Lightning crackled in his right fist, his magic power rising, as he motioned a punch, aimed at his opponent..

**_LIGHTNING DRAGON'S BREAKDOWN FIST!_ **

Arthur braced himself for the strike, but nothing happened. Confused, he looked over at Laxus, who was currently smirking.

"Just kidding."

He then lifted his fist up in the air and aimed it at the ceiling, before yelling out. "Resounding through the air, the roar of thunder, plunge from the heavens and reap destruction!"

**_RAGING BOLT!_ **

A giant lighting descended upon Arthur from above him, catching him by suprise and making him take the full effect of the attack. He yelled out from pain, numbness and impact of the strike, his body completely covered by yellow electric currents. Just when the attack finally calmed down, Arthur buckled over in his spot, unable to take a breath. Not giving the elder even a shadow of a chance to recover, Laxus quickly closed the distance, his fist pulled back, covered in lightning.

**_LIGHTNING DRAGON'S IRON FIST!_ **

The Dragon Slayer drove his fist into Arthur's chest, making him yell out in pain. At the very same moment, Laxus felt stinging pain in his left side, a knife sticking out of his stomach, left by Arthur at the very moment of impact. Gritting his teeth, he flexed his shoulder one last time and blew the elder back, smoke coming out of his struck area, lightning crackling all over his body. Just like that, Arthur fell onto his back, defeated and unconscious.

Laxus breathed heavily, feeling the oxygen spread throughout his body. His entire body hurt like nothing he'd ever experienced in his life, a small pool of blood forming by his feet from all his sustained injuries. Not fighting it any longer, he let himself fall onto his back, his tense muscles relaxing for the first time in a long while.

"To think I had to resort to sneak attacks..." he wheezed out to himself. "I'm so glad I haven't met him 10 years ago."

He then looked over at the ceiling, his thought with his fellow Dragon Slayer.

"If number 2 was that much of a monster, I don't want to think what sort of a beast is at the top. Be careful, Salamander."

**To be continued in Chapter 12.5: The Beast's Howling Part 2.**


	13. The Beast's Howling Part 2

**Tower of Heaven, Sixth Floor**

Erza lost count how many times she'd been rolling on the ground by now, but the number was definitely unpleasant. She quickly got up on all fours and slid on the ground, her feet and hands leaving marks on the floor. She grit her teeth and launched herself at Jellal once again, picking up her fallen weapons on the way.

Her body was covered in bruises, blood dripping from the corner of her lip down her chin. Ever since she blocked Jellal's **Grand Chariot** , she was unable to reach the man, even in her fastest armor. Still clad in her **Flight Armor** , she raised her blades high above her head and struck down, only to have him step out of the way once again. Expecting it, she quickly turned on her feet, shifting her weight along the way and dashed to her right, where Jellal was. She thrust her blade at his face, but that was only a feint. Midway through her push, she stepped in as fast as she could, closing the distance between them and raised her elbow upwards and to the side, turning the thrust into a horizontal swing. The Commandment saw right through it and ducked right underneath her arm, aiming a punch at her stomach. She blocked it with her left sword and quickly turned her right arm by 180 degrees. She threw a short, quick strike aimed at his left collarbone, only to feel her arm being grabbed by the forearm, with Jellal successfully stopping the strike. The man smirked and grabbed Erza's other arm with his right arm. He forcefully spread her arms to the sides and kicked her in the stomach, making her gasp. Erza slid on the ground once again, her eyes closed from the pain. After few meters she stopped sliding and opened her eyes, only to see Jellal's cruel smile in front of her face, along with his open palm.

Jellal hit Erza with yet another wave of his green energy, sending the woman flying. This time, however, she managed to keep her grip on one of her weapons, which she stabbed the floor with, greatly reducing her momentum. Once she stopped sliding, she took a deep breath and pulled the blade out, unsure of what to do.

"You're growing desperate, Erza." mocked Jellal. "After your earlier display, I got my hopes up, but it appears I was a fool to expect anything exciting."

"Shut your mouth." growled Erza.

Jellal laughed at her words in amusement, angering Erza even further. "Don't be like that. It's a fated reunion, you could at least be civil enough to not bark at me. Or did Salamander's company rub off on you already? You two did seem pretty close back there."

"Silence!" roared Erza and threw her weapon at Jellal, who ducked right under it. During this distraction, she Requipped into her **Heaven's Wheel Armor** and took off into the air, hovering few meters above the ground. Behind her circled dozens of swords, all of them aimed at Jellal.

"Dance, my blades!" she screamed and aimed her primary sword at the man, her blades taking off in his direction,

Jellal simply smiled at the sight and watched the blades fly in his direction.

_**METEOR!** _

In a flash, he vanished from his spot, all the sword planting themselves in his earlier spot. Thanks to her position, Erza could easily follow his movements and already prepared to strike again. Predicting the his movements, she sent another couple weapons in his direction, only to have him change his direction in a moment. Jellal started to fly from a wall to a wall, from ceiling to the floor, bouncing around the floor like a ball. His body left multiple trails of green energy behind, his speed increasing to levels unknown to Erza. Feeling desperation grasp her heart, she strained her senses to find him and threw her remaining swords where he was about to land.

Jellal got to a wall and as soon as he turned around, he noticed seven swords centimeters before his face. His eyes widened a little in shock, but he managed to get out of the way just in time, the only damage sustained a small cut on his cheek, right beneath his previous one. Feeling small sense of irritation, he turned in Erza's direction, only to see her flying at him at full speed.

_**BLUMENBLATT!** _

The knight slashed at Jellal with both of her swords, both of them missing their target. Jellal quickly got behind Erza and leaned in so close his mouth was right by her ear.

"Speaking of fated reunions, I've got something to tell you."

Before Erza could react, she was kicked in the back, a scream of pain escaping out of her mouth. She crashed into the ground, a giant dustcloud forming where she landed. Jellal slowly hovered back to the ground and dispelled his magic.

"Truth to be told, I was hoping our meeting would be of a much bigger scale." said Jellal, as he watched Erza get out from beneath the debris. She panted heavily and Requipped back to her **Heart Kreuz Armor** , dizziness controlling her body.

"It's actually quite shocking, that you haven't asked me what happened to Simon, Sho and the others." continued Jellal with a fake sadness on his face.

That seemed to have gotten Erza's attention, her eyes widening at the sound of the names of their friends. "Where are they?! What happened to them?!"

Jellal closed his eyes. "You see, after you've abandoned us, they were quite taken by it. It was hard to tell them the truth, but it was the only right choice. After all, all we had was each other. We couldn't afford to lie to one another."

Erza clenched her fists in anger, but listened regardless.

"We've been together for a while, before we were found by Commandments. Naturally, they wanted to put us back in our cells, but they noticed my potential, and offered me a place in their ranks. At first, I was hesitant, but after learning of their plans, I couldn't resist. The others, however, were not too fond of me joining the Commandments. However, after a while they complied, and we were allowed to stay together."

Erza's hands were clenched so tight they hurt, her knuckles white. She dreaded hearing the rest, but couldn't help but listen, her lips sealed.

Jellal continued his story. "We then started to travel with the Commandments, from village to village, from town to town. With each day, I could see they were becoming more and more disapproving of their methods. And so did the guild. I was tasked with taking care of them, and believe me Erza, I tried. But then, one day, during one of our usual "visits", in his sudden outburst of compassion and righteousness, Sho spoke one word too much."

A vein popped on Erza's temple, her gauntlets dented from her grip. "What happened to them?" she asked quietly.

A sinister smile grew on Jellal's face as he answered. "Well, let's just say they've become the nourishment for this place. They've returned to their rightful homes."

Upon hearing these words, Erza's scowl slowly turned into a face representing pure despair, her eyes growing wide, her left eye tearing up. Her hands relaxed, emptiness filling her head.

"Don't make such a face, Erza." said Jellal. "I should be the one grieving here. After all, I was the one who had to watch over them, as they worked to their absolute end on fulfilling my dream. I will never be able to thank them for their sacrifice."

Erza grit her teeth so hard, she broke one of them and threw herself at the man in pure fury.

"Jellal~!" she roared as loud as she could, her voice breaking half-way through the scream, her throat sore and burning. She quickly Requipped back into her Flight Armor, with Jellal already back in his Meteor, ready to dodge out of the way.

However, much to his suprise, instead of her usual weapons, Erza summoned a giant sword, twice as big as her. She grasped it hard and lifted it above her head, before bringing it down onto Jellal. The man jumped back, with the strike hitting his previous spot. The sword struck the ground with enormous force, breaking the floor like a twig. Two, giant chunks of the floor rose up from the ground, joining together, forming a big ball made of debris.

"You shouldn't destroy this place too much." taunted Jellal. "After all, this is your true home. This is where you truly belong."

"Curse you, you bastard!" she yelled out in response, his words getting to her.

Erza shifted her gaze back at Jellal and charged at him once again. Despite the heavy weapon in her arms, she was without a doubt faster than before, which caused Jellal way more trouble to dodge than he expected. She swung the blade at him once again, but this time, instead of distancing himself, he flew back to her and put his hand on her stomach.

Erza was blown away by another wave, crashing into the ground. She quickly rolled back and slid on her feet and knees. As soon as she stopped, she slammed the ground with her left hand and summoned a blade identical to the one she held in her right hand. With one sword in each hand, she dashed at The Heavens once again, making him slightly frightened of the sight before him. She swung her right sword at an angle, missing his neck, as he stepped to his left. She then slashed at him horizontally with the same blade, making him jump backwards and followed him by bringing her left sword down, only to have him dodge and get behind her. Not missing his movements, Erza followed through with another slash with her right hand, which he dodged once again. She then threw a right headkick at his head, which he ducked right under. Using this opportunity, Jellal used Erza's lowered guard as a chance and kicked her in lower back, making her fly towards the ground. Both of the blades slid out of her grip, as they fell to the ground, both leaving cracks in the floor after landing.

White light blinded Jellal, as Erza Requipped into another armor. Clad in her **Black Wing Armor** , she threw herself at the man, blindly hacking at him with her sword.

"Your movements have become predictable. Anger dulls the blade, haven't you heard that? I guess those seven years spent in that delusional bubble of freedom you call a guild were nothing but a waste. " taunted Jellal, after dodging her thrust.

"Silence!" she growled back and continued her rush. Jellal, fed up with her persistence, caught her sword arm and pulled it towards himself. A second later, he felt dull pain in his abdomen, with Erza's foot planted deep into his stomach. Numb pain spreading across his lower area, he let go of her, which allowed her to rip her arm out of his grip and slash him across chest, this time deeper than previously. Blood gashed out of the cut, as Jellal started to fall onto the ground, with Erza punching his face as hard as she could, which send him flying towards the ground. Erza quickly started following him, dropping along with him, willing to finish him off.

Jellal grit his teeth in anger and escaped Erza's thrust. He flew around her and smashed his feet into her back, kicking her with both legs with incredible force. Erza smashed into the ground, pieces of debris flying all over the area. Few seconds later, a giant ball of fire made its way towards Jellal, with Erza clad in her Flame Empress Armor standing in the crater. The Commandment extended his arm out and caught the attack with his palm, before squeezing his hand, breaking the ball into multiple little flames, that splashed all over the floor. He then extended his arm out once again, pointing it at Erza.

**_PLEIADES!_ **

Six rays of light shot in Erza's direction, blowing up the crater she resided in. Before Jellal had a chance to wonder whether she was still alive, she shot right out of the dustcloud, clad in her **Flight Armor** once again. However, instead of attacking with it, she used it to close the distance between her and Jellal and quickly Requipped once again.

**_REQUIP: PURGATORY ARMOR!_ **

With only mere few feet between her and her opponent, the knight summoned her most powerful armor and swung her giant mace at his figure, relentlessly bombarding him with a barrage of attacks. Jellal dodged all of them, at the same time carefully watching Erza's movements. After a short while, he noticed his chance and sidestepped to his side, passing right by Erza's weapon. He then grabbed her face with his right hand and used his magic to push her away, smashing her into the ground. Erza quickly forced her way out of the debris, smashing them into pieces, but did not attack back, instead panting heavily in her spot.

"Seems like your little tantrum took away too much of your stamina. You're barely standing on your feet." noticed Jellal.

Erza's hateful glare was his only response, which amused him dearly.

"You know, Erza, I've heard a certain rumor about you that intrigues me so much, I simply can't resist but test it." he said, an evil smile glued to his face.

Jellal dashed at Erza, who brought her mace up in response. She brought it down onto his head, only to have him stop in his tracks just before he was met with the weapon. The mace crashed into the floor, and Jellal resumed his charge, quickly getting close to Erza. He kneed her in the stomach, taking the air out of her body and sent her flying, her weapon left behind, stuck in the ground. She flew through the air, before feeling something hit her back, with Jellal quickly getting behind her and kicking her just above her bottom. She yelled out in pain, before feeling an arm wrap itself around her neck, her right hand forcefully grabbed and bent back, pressed against her lower back. Jellal secured the struggling knight in a tight hold, and leaned in to whisper into her ear.

"I've heard you're never seen without your armor. Now, I'm not in position to question ones choice of attire, but I suppose an armor is not an outfit meant to be worn everywhere, even in bed, now, is it?"

Jellal reached out to Erza's chest and put his hand on her breastplate. "Are you, perhaps, afraid of being without an armor?"

He then lit his hand up and pulled it downwards, breaking a large piece of Erza's armor, exposing her breasts clad in a sports bra, along with her abdominals. Erza froze at the sight of her broken armor, her mouth agape, her voice stuck in her throat, her eyes widened and terrified.

"I guess the rumors are true." sang Jellal into her ear and took a hold of her left arm, forcefully stripping it off armor.

At the sight of her exposed left arm and chest, a horrified, desperate cry left Erza's mouth, one she hasn't heard in a long time. She tensed her whole body up and forced her way out of Jellal's grip, much to his suprise. She quickly turned around and smashed her fist into his jaw, making him take couple steps back, while she herself jumped away, already Requipping into a whole, new armor.

Jellal slowly reached out to his cut lip and swiped the blood off of it with his thumb. He then smirked. "Who would have thought the great Titania had such a weakness."

Erza shivered in her spot, fear filling her entire being. She watched him slowly pace towards her, at the same time feeling her body step back with each of his steps against her will.

"Stay away." she breathed out, as she watched him pick up his pace in horror.

Jellal simply smirked at her panic and continued to walk towards her, scaring her even further. Without any kind of a warning, Erza yelled out in terror and threw herself at the man, all of her instincts telling her to attack.

"I see my job is half-way done. Now, all that's left is to break your body." said Jellal, before meeting her with a charge of his own. His fist made contact with her sword, a powerful shockwave emitting from the clash. The man easily pushed her weapon to the side and struck her in the abdomen with his fist. Much to his suprise, she grabbed him by the arm and pulled him by it, striking his jaw with her fist. He quickly recovered and responded with a punch of his own, dealing much more damage than she did. Blood flowed down her face from her nose, as Jellal immediately followed through with a left hook to her right cheekbone, with a right body blow coming right afterwards.

Erza's body was bombarded with a barrage of punches, most of them hitting her where her guard could not protect her. Her **Heart Kreuz Armor** was beginning to break under the onslaught, with Jellal making sure she didn't have enough time to change. The man pulled his arm downwards, preparing an uppercut, however, instead of throwing a regular punch, he he twisted his fist vertically, greatly narrowing the strike. His fist squeezed its way right in-between Erza's guard, striking her in her chin with enough force to cause her feet to lose contact with the ground, her head flying upwards so hard her neck hurt. The Heavens stepped in and grabbed her collar, only to then rip the broken breastplate off of her body, exposing her vulnerable chest once again, before punching her in the gut, making sure his fist was thoroughly coated in his magic. The redhead was blown back, blood leaving her mouth. She slid on the ground and bent over, numb pain taking over her body, rendering her unable to breathe. She dropped to her knees and clutched her stomach, her ears picking up the sound of Jellal's steps. She lifted her head up to look at him, which she soon realised was a mistake, terror filling every fiber of her being once again.

Fear taking over her reason, she threw herself at Jellal once again, Requipping back into **Black Wing Armor**. She raised her sword up high above her head and swung it downwards, screaming while doing so.

* * *

"Erza!"

Makarov's loud voice echoed across the guildhall, startling everyone inside of the building. No matter how many times it happened, it always sent shivers down their spines.

"Erza!" Makarov called out once again, this time pacing across the guild, searching for the girl with his eyes. He knew his yelling was most likely in vain, but he tried anyway. Much to his slight suprise, with the corner of the eye he spotted her.

A 17 year old Erza sat by the bar counter, her back turned to Makarov. Her hand was locked on her mug, which she then raised up and drank from. Lisanna, who was behind the counter, continued to shift her worried eyes between Erza and Makarov, as she nervously continued to wipe an already clean plate.

Makarov locked his eyes on the knight and sighed gently through his nose. "Erza, to my office. Now." With that said, he made his way upstairs. Erza gently tiled her head in his direction, not in a hurry to follow him. She raised her mug once again and emptied it with one chug. She then slowly slid off her chair and followed the elder, who was already in his room.

Couple minutes later, Erza found herself sitting right before Makarov, his eyes glued to her face, his finger repeatedly tapping the desk. The girl was looking to the side, not willing to meet his eyes. He just wanted it to be dealt with.

Makarov increased his tapping and then, all of a sudden, stopped.

"I don't even know where to begin." he said after a long pause.

"Neither do I." shot back Erza, still not looking at him.

The Master ignored her little remark and continued to stare at her, gathering his thoughts. Once he decided the right order, he spoke out.

"I'm tired, Erza."

Erza finally looked at him and arched an eyebrow. "That's fine, we can talk tomorrow-"

"I'm tired of you."

The knight's eyes widened in slight shock. She's been chewed up by the elder many times, but these words were perhaps the harshest she's ever heard, despite their apparent innocence.

"First of all, I'm genuinely suprised to see you. I thought I wouldn't get a chance to meet you for yet another three months. Having you here on time is like an early Christmas gift." he continued.

Erza sighed at this remark. "I was out, doing some jobs. Besides, Gildarts is away from the guild for years at a time, and yet he's never confronted about it."

"That's because his missions are something only he can pull off, and you are nowhere near his level." answered Makarov, earning himself an angry look from Erza. "As for your jobs, I am well aware of them. In fact, I've just come back from a Council meeting, dedicated solely to your person."

The redhead tensed up upon hearing these words. That did no go unnoticed by Makarov, who continued. "Yes, Erza. While you're somewhere off in the world, taking jobs from the underground, sleeping in the mud and dealing with things even I can't get my head around, I am being dragged across the country to explain your unusual activities."

"I don't sleep in mud." retorted childishly Erza. Deep down, she knew he was right, but her pride prevented her from admitting it.

Makarov raised an eyebrow. "You reek, child. When was the last time you've taken this damn thing off?" he asked, pointing at her armor.

Erza looked down. Her armor was stained and dirty, covered in mud, dust and other stuff she couldn't recognize. Her skirt was slightly torn and flithy, just like her armor. Her hair, that reached just past her shoulders was stiff and unpleasant in touch. Only now did she notice her poor state.

"Then I'll take a bath." she said quietly.

"While wearing it, I presume?" peered the elder.

Now she was pissed. Few months ago, she made a mistake of taking a bath with other females from the guild. Her attempt at trying to socialize failed short, and now it seemed that one of them shared it with Makarov, with Mira being the biggest suspect.

"It's none of you business." she growled through her teeth.

Makarov continued to look at her with his old eyes. "You're right. It's not."

He then dropped from his chair and walked to the window.

"While on the meeting, I had to listen to the Council's ideas, regarding what to do with you. You're being accused of breaking the law against illegal jobs, attacking Dark Guilds without their consent, starting fights with other mages, and dealing with the world of Underground. Then again, the main topic of the meeting was your rampage in one of the Dark Guilds. Seven dead mages and ten others crippled beyond treatment, color me impressed. Keep that up, and I will be stipped off my title og a Wizard Saint and thrown into a prison cell right next to yours."

His tone was far away from impressed, pure anger squeezed into every single word. Hearing no response, he continued his monologue.

"Truth to be told, I was to be accompanied by a battalion of soldiers, ready to take you in by force. I almost had to kneel in front of them to make them give you one last chance. They even threatened to disband Fairy Tail, all because of what you do in your free time. Your actions are dragging the whole guild down."

Erza listened to him, completely not guilty of what she's heard, or at least that's what she looked like on the surface. Hearing the consequences of her actions made her feel uneasy, to say the least. Still, she decided to cover it up with a nonchalant face. He must have picked it up, because he turned around and faced her with a stern expression, his voice becoming more serious. "But I'm done with it. We've had this conversation multiple times. I doubt anything will change now. You've received yet another, final chance - use it however you see it fit. Go back to your new home and see yourself on the wanted posters, or stop being caged in by your past and move on."

Erza clenched her teeth in anger. "I am not caged in by my past."

"To be fair, I cannot blame you." continued Makarov, ignoring her. "No one would come out of what you've been through unscathed. But you're letting it poison your future as well, thus making you a slave of your own past."

"I'm not a slave!" yelled Erza, as she stood up from her chair. She pierced the elder with a hateful glare, her chest raising and falling rapidly.

"No?" he asked, his eyebrows raised. "You sure as hell act like one."

Erza kicked his desk in fury, not impressing the elder by the slightest. She had reached her boiling point.

"What the hell can you know about it?"

"Absolutely nothing. I am unable to put myself in your position." replied calmly the Master. "But I'm pretty sure trying to kill yourself by being overloaded with work is not a good way to deal with it."

"Working is the only way I can cut myself away from my memories!" she roared. "I have to stay busy! Jobs sent to the guild are not enough, I have to spend days, weeks, sometimes even months on one request, otherwise I can't focus! Every time I have to take my armor off, I feel their eyes and hands all over me, I can hear their whispers, I can see the tower itself! Every time I look into the mirror, I always look at my right eye, and I immediately relive that pain, and the joy it brought to these monsters! If I could control it, if I could prevent it, I sure as hell would! Do you have any idea how hard it is, being reminded of your worst nightmares on every step?!"

She panted heavily, finally getting some air. Makarov continued to stare deep into her eyes, which only baited her to talk more.

"I can't deal with people! Every time I have to talk to them, every time my eyes meet theirs, I feel like they're judging me. I can't trust anyone, every time I am around unfamiliar people, I tense up and await an attack. Even if I wanted to talk to anyone about my problems, I simply can't! If they learned more about me, they'd grow to hate me."

"No, they wouldn't." threw in Makarov, earning himself a confused look from Erza. "Gray and Mirajane know, and yet they have never treated you any different than usual, now, have they?"

The knight's eyes widened. "You've...told them?" she muttered.

The elder niodded. "Yes, I have. Many years ago. Did you feel them ever treating you worse than others? Making fun of you, trying to humiliate you?"

Erza lowered her head. She's been constantly bickering with Mira, to the point where their arguments heated up to the levels so extreme even, the sharpest tongued guildmates covered their ears, trying to escape the insults and curses that escaped the mouths of both females. But even when then, she never brought Erza's past, not even once.

She shook her head in response, which seemed to please Makarov.

"All of us have our secrets, Erza. Some are small and trivial, others huge and at times impossible to contain. Mira and Gray belong to the latter. Trust me, you have way more in common with both of them than you think."

Erza's eyes widened a little. Now that she thought about it, she didn't know too much about them, just what she's experienced in the guild.

"You have no idea how much they wish they could help you." said Makarov, in a much gentler tone than before. "I have to deal with Gray's questions regarding your whereabouts on daily basis. Not only him, many others are worried about you. You have much more allies than you think."

With that said, guilt started to pull on Erza's stomach, as she took her eyes off of his in shame, unable to look at them.

"Why?" she asked, her voice breaking.

Makarov smiled. "Because we're a family. That's what family does - helps each other."

Even if she wanted to, she couldn't stop the tears that flowed down her face. She raised her hand up to cover it, but she couldn't fool Makarov, no matter how hard she tried.

"How can I just forget it?" she asked through tears. "How can I just forget about it and move on?"

"You can't." replied shortly the elder. He walked around the desk and stood beside the redhead, who looked at him with her puffy eyes.

"But what you can do, is stop letting it control you. No matter what we do, we cannot change the past. It will always be a part of us. What you're doing right now, is letting it sneak into your future as well, unnecessarily polluting your life, making you your own prisoner. Fight it. Push it back. Put up a wall that separates the current you from what happened 5 years ago. Seal it away and start anew."

He then carefully put his hand on her knee, afraid she will immediately escape his touch like she used to for years. To his pleasant suprise, she stayed in her spot, letting him soothe her.

"You are currently Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail. Not the scared, powerless little girl from years back. You are a beautiful, young, strong woman, surrounded by friends and a place you can call home. You just have to open your eyes, and see it for yourself."

The elder then raised his hand up to her face and gently grabbed left right cheek. His eyes grew more serious, as he drilled in hole in Erza's brown irises.

"Now, answer me. Do you want to spend the rest of your life alone in a prison cell?"

Makarov chose this question on purpose, fully aware of the weight it carried. Despite painful memories filling her head, Erza clenched her fists and answered,

"No."

"Do you want to spend the rest of your life afraid of your own reflection in the mirror?"

"No." Erza's tone was becoming slightly rougher with each answer. This pleased Makarov, as that was his goal.

"Do you want to stay the way you are, caged in by your own self, continuously ruining your life and future?"

"No!" she yelled, however, there was not a trace of anger in her voice. Only determination.

"Who are you?!" now, Makarov's voice was raised as well.

Erza took a moment to answer. She realised everything Makarov said today was planned and meant to help her. She looked at her armored hands and made them glow with white light, her gauntlets being sent back to her dimension. She looked at her scars, fear trying to creep its way into her head once again, but this time, she was ready. She clenched her fists and sniffed with her nose, pushing it back for the first time in a long while. What she's been trying to do for years was achieved with one pep talk from someone other than herself. Realising how foolish she was for pushing other people away, and feeling a new sense of courage and determination, she wiped her eyes off with her arm and looked at Makarov with a strong look, one she'd be later famous for.

"Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail."

Makarov grinned widely. "That's what I wanted to hear."

He took his hand off her face and walked back to his chair. "Now, be a good kid and don't force me to travel across Fiore to meet up with those fools from the Council ever again. I'm not particularly fond of them."

Erza couldn't help but gently chuckle at his remark. She shared his fondness of the Council. The sight of Erza's smile was one of the rarest and most beautiful sights Makarov had ever seen. He couldn't help but smile as well.

"Now, then, you can go back downstairs. But before you do, I have to give you an order. Two, actually."

Erza arched an eyebrow.

"Form a team, preferably with Gray. We have to kill your habit of picking up illegal jobs, and also make him stop nagging me. I was ready to smack the poor boy few days ago, only so he would leave me alone. And for the love of God, take a normal bath. My nose is starting to hurt."

Erza snorted into her hand. She took one last look at her wrist and summoned back her gauntlets.

"I'll see what I can do." she said with a small smile.

* * *

Erza rolled on the ground once again, pieces of her armor leaving her body on the way. She grunted from pain and began to stand up, her body heavy and sore. She looked at her sorry, stripped state and Requipped from her broken **Black Wing Armor** into her **Flight Armor**.

" _Why am I remembering it now?_ " she wondered in thoughts. " _Am I trying to subconsciously tell something to myself?_ "

She watched approaching Jellal, her eyes half closed from fatigue. She was so tired, she couldn't even bring herself to be scared anymore. Or maybe was it thanks to the memory? She genuinely had no idea.

"I think it's the right time we finished it, Erza." exclaimed Jellal. "Though you don't need to be too healthy for the ceremony, I can't have you dying on me. Stop resisting and accept your fate."

She couldn't help but simply watch him walk up to her, her head out of ideas. All of her armors were either damaged, or unfit to fight him. She closed her eyes, slowly accepting the defeat.

_"Cut its head off."_

The knight felt her eyes shoot wide open, the words echoing in her mind. She reached out to the memory from two years ago, tying it up with the one from 30 minutes ago. Gears turning in her head, . her eyes growing wide in realisation, she finally realised her own problem, and understood what she had to do. She felt as if some sort of a block was lifted off her mind, revealing the obvious. She stood up and met Jellal's eyes with hers.

_"We're both bound by our own demons."_

"No."

Erza's voice was stern and confident. Jellal stopped walking and arched an eyebrow at her sudden exclamation.

"No?"

"Just...no."

Unsure of what the woman was talking about, Jellal remained silent.

"For years, I've been terrified of what happened to me." she said to him. He looked at her with genuine confusion.

"Because of that, I hurt people who truly cared for me. I hurt people, who meant me absolutely no harm, but I treated their actions as a threat. I killed people, in my own, selfish outbursts of anger, aimed at something completely else. I was truly a living scum."

If Jellal was confused earlier, now he was just lost. He frowned at the knight. "What are you talking about?"

"But then, I received help. I was brought away from darkness and led on the right path, a path that I've been following ever since. At least, that's what I thought." Erza continued her monologue and looked at her hand.

"I've just realised I was lying to myself, again. I haven't changed, one bit. I still let my past dictate my future, my actions, my way of living. Like you said, I was living in a delusional bubble I called freedom. But...no more."

Erza relaxed her fist and white light started to slowly cover her entire body.

"I refuse to be a slave to my own past for any longer."

Erza's stockings and shorts started to change into a pair of red pants, touched with flames on both sides of her pantlegs, her feet naked.

"I refuse to let it control me any further."

Her armbands disappeared along with her breastplate, replaced by plain bandages wrapped around her chest, her hair tied in a ponytail.

"I refuse to be afraid of who I am."

Her two, short swords disappeared, a katana forming on her right hand in their place. The light dispelled, showing Erza in her true form. There was not a single piece of armor on her body, her clothes light and thin. She looked at her figure, weird feeling grasping her chest. However, instead of subduing to it, she grabbed it by the throat and smothered it. She took a deep breath and locked her eyes with Jellal's.

_"Kill this demon. Cut its head off. Got it?"_

"I reject my past. I reject this place. I reject my demons. And I reject you, Jellal."

Jellal snorted at her words. "You can't just simply say you reject what's already a part of you, Erza. Struggle all you want, but you will always be a slave. You will always belong to this place, just how I'll always be a part of you."

"You're right. I can't just say I reject these things. First, I have to fight for it. But you're also mistaken." She took a fighting stance and pointed her blade in his direction. "The Jellal I used to know is long gone. He will always remain in my heart, whereas you will perish, along with this place and all the other Commandments."

Jellal's smirk was quickly knocked off his face. Feeling anger build up in his chest, he breathed through his nose. "We'll see."

Both mages dashed at each other at the same time, with Jellal having the slight advantage in speed. Erza put her blade up against her waist and slashed horizontally at the man, who jumped over her. She quickly turned on her feet and followed him, much to his suprise. She caught him while still in the air and slashed him across his left shoulder, his blood splashing onto her face. He grimaced in pain and responded with a kick to her stomach, which caused her to gasp. He kicked her away from himself and flew upwards, trying to keep his distance. He wasn't sure how it was possible, but her current form was the fastest and strongest she's shown him in this fight.

He put his right hand on top of his left, seven magic circles appearing above him.

**_GRAND CHARIOT!_ **

Seven powerful beams of energy fell onto Erza, resulting in a giant explosion. Dust covered Jellal's vision, as he searched around the area, expecting her strike. He didn't have to wait for long, as something cut through the smoke, with Erza flying in his direction like a missile. He got out of the way of her slash, as she started to fall. She turned around in the air and planted her feet on the wall, before kicking it and launching herself at the man once again. He slipped out of the way again, but this time, he quickly responded by planting his fist deep into her stomach. Or so he thought, as Erza caught the blow with her left hand and headbutted him once again, causing them both to fall to the ground. As soon as she got up, she picked up her weapon and dashed at The Heavens, who replied with multiple green beams. She stopped in her tracks and started to deflect each and every single one of them, before smacking the last one into the ground before her, causing an explosion that covered her figure in dust. Using it as a cover, she quickly run around it, her figure out of Jellal's field of vision and dashed from the side, slashing at his neck. He saw it, however, and leaned his head to the side, the blade cutting few strands of his hair.

Completely fed up with this fight, Jellal stopped restraining himself for the sake of his plan and launched a barrage of hits onto Erza. The woman blocked majority of them, but shortly after, her defenese became weaker, with more punches and kicks landing on her already sore body. Jellal smirked sadistically in triumph, sure of his victory, as he continued to pound Erza like a sandbag, before feeling his head being blown upwards. Erza kicked him underneath his chin with all her strength, turning the insides of his mouth into a bloody mess. Fury taking over his mind, he retaliated with a right hook, which was guarded. In exchange, he received a right cross from the knight. Both mages looked at each other, before engaging in a bloody exchange of hits, neither giving the other time to think. Erza ducked underneath Jellal's kick to her middle section and tripped his leg, making him fall onto his back. He responded by kicking her in the face from beneath her, which forced her to take few steps back. He rolled backwards and used his Meteor to fly straight into Erza, who grabbed him at the last second and slid on the ground, his body pressed against her stomach. She flexed her shoulders and back as hard as she could and lifted him off the ground, before smashing him into the surface with enough strength to make him cough up blood. She then kicked him in the side, which made him roll on the ground for few feet. With her sword right under her hand, she grabbed it and ran after him, ready to finish the fight.

"Enough!" roared Jellal and put his hand in front of her face. An explosion caused her to fly backwards, rocking her so hard she barely stayed conscious. Jellal stood up and glared at Erza with pure hatred in his eyes.

"This has carried on for far too long!" he yelled, before raising his hands and crossing them above his head. A black vortex started to form above his figure, all the stones, pieces of debris and Erza's armors flying in its direction. Even the shadows started to bend towards it, absorbed by the disgusting magic.

Erza stood up, her body reaching its limits. Still, she grabbed her blade with both hands and placed it near her left hip, as she focused all of her remaining magic power in one point.

"I'll make sure to reunite you with your friends in hell, Erza!" screamed Jellal and threw his arms in her direction, with the woman dashing straight towards him and his spell.

_**ALTEARIS!** _

As soon as he brought his arms down, he felt dizziness take over his head, his vision becoming blurry. He started to fall onto his face, which forced him to extend his right foot to prevent himself from falling. Because of this distraction, his magic dispelled just before he could throw it.

"Blood loss?!" he wondered. He then looked up and felt blood freeze in his veins. Erza was mere centimeters away from him, her blade ready to strike.

"Be gone."

Erza dashed right past the man, her blade successfully slashing his stomach. Blood gashed out of the fresh wound onto the floor, as Jellal's body started to lean towards the floor, his consciousness slipping.

"Zeref..." he whispered, before meeting the ground with his face, as he fell, defeated.

The redhead panted heavily and put her blade down, her arms too heavy to be held up in the air for any longer. She turned around and looked at her former friend, a weird feeling filling her heart. She sent her blade away to her dimension and walked up to the man, ripping her pantleg on her way.

"Despite everything you've done, I won't kill you." she said to his unconscious figure. She turned him around onto his back and wrapped the cloth around his fresh wound, blocking the bleeding. "You will face justice for what you've done."

She then picked him up and threw him over her shoulder, which soon turned out to be too much what she bargained for. Still, she holstered him on her shoulder and made her way through the ruins of the sixth floor, her mind focused on getting back to her friends.

"All of you, please be safe."

* * *

**Tower of Heaven, Christina**

Wendy wiped her forehead, finally done with treating everyone on the ship. She felt a little drained, but her training appeared to alreadyu bear fruit. Proud of herself, she gave herself a small grin. She then looked at Hibiki, who was desperately trying to reach Gray with his magic.

"No use." sighed irritated male, before smashing his fist into the control panel of Christina. "He's either somehow blocking me from reaching him, or he's dead."

Wendy looked at him horrified.

"Please, don't say anything like that!" she shuddered.

Hibiki looked at her with suprise and frowned sadly. "Forgive me. I'm just frustrated I let him go back in there. If anything happens to him, it's my fault."

Suddenly, a weird sound reached the ears of everyone present on the ship. Hibiki quickly get off his chair and ran out to another room. Few seconds later, he brought a communication lacrima back into the room and placed in on the table.

"Hello?" called out Hibiki.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" answered a familiar voice. The transmission was of really bad quality, with the picture barely recognizable.

"Yes, this is Hibiki of Blue Pegasus. Who is there?"

"Oh, Hibiki! Looks like we finally got through! I swear to God, these devices are getting worse and worse as time goes by."

Hibiki and Wendy's eyes widened in joy upon recognizing the voice.

"Master Makarov?!"

* * *

**Tower of Heaven, Fourth Floor**

Luppi threw himself to the side, dodging another wave of water. He panted heavily and started to run towards the exit, something he's been trying to for a while now. Before he could even get enough speed, he was forced to duck under several blades made out of water.

At this point, he wasn't even trying to fight back, his mind focused solely on what was happening in the Council and running away. And he sure as hell did not have good news.

 ** _WATER LOCK_**!

For the fourth time this day, he's found himself trapped in a ball of water. He quickly looked at Juvia, who dispelled the trap seconds later. Luppi broke his control over her and couldn't help the wave of nausea that hit him, causing him to vomit once again. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and started to run away once again.

His path was closed by a giant axe, with Taurus smashing the ground before him. Lucy walked out from behind her spirit, sealing his escape route. Behind him was Juvia, also cutting off his secondary option. Both women surrounded the Commandment, leaving him at their mercy.

"Give up. You have nowhere to go." said Juvia.

Luppi sent her a hateful glare in response.

_"Luppi. Answer me."_

A voice echoed in his head, making him pale from fear in a matter of a second.

 _"Yes, Master?"_ he answered.

_"I have captured Salamander. Retreat back to the top floor immediately."_

Luppi's eyes widened in shock. This was bad. The timing could not have been worse.

_"I am currently trying to get back to you, Master. There are some difficulties, however. It may take me a whilw to reach you."_

For a moment, silence was his only answer.

_"Retreat back at all cost. That is an order."_

Shivers went down Luppi's spine, but Silva's words filled him up with a weird sense of courage.

_"As you wish, Master."_

Luppi pulled out his knife and looked at Lucy, whose eyes became empty once again. He then turned around and threw his weapon at Juvia, at the same time running towards Lucy. The blonde forced gate closure on Taurus, which allowed Luppi to run past her without any problems. His knife flew right through Juvia's head, her body turned into water. She chased after him, not willing to let him escape.

After running for several meters, Luppi felt something wrapping itself around his neck, with Lucy capturing him with her whip once again.

"Give it a rest already, you stupid bitch!" he growled and grabbed the whip. He pulled her towards him and punched her in the gut as hard as he could, making her gasp for air. He quickly turned around on his feet and continued his escape, only to see a wall of water form before him. Reaching his absolute limit, he slowly turned around, both women standing right beside each other, staring him down.

"Give up." repeated Juvia.

Luppi exhaled through his nose, veins popping on his forehead. "Screw it." he growled.

He put up both of his hands and took control over both Juvia and Lucy at the same time, much to their shock. Both women obediently grabbed each others throats and began squeezing as hard as they could, strangling each other.

"Our plans are already fucked anyway." breathed Luppi under his nose. "I might as well enjoy myself for a moment before the end."

"No. You won't."

The Mind quickly shot his head behind, shocked at the sound of the voice. He spotted Lucy, her fist retracted, as she struck him in the jaw with all her might, breaking his concentration. Both Juvia and "Lucy" relaxed, with the bluenette breathing loudly.

"You really need to stop making us go through things like this." whined Gemini in Lucy's voice. "It really hurts!"

"Them again?!" yelled Luppi, confused, furious and embarrassed to be fooled the same way twice. "When?!"

"When you turned your back on me a minute ago." replied Lucy.

Luppi spat onto the ground. "And you think I'm just gonna let you get away with it? You'll regret showing yourself!"

He then focused on the blonde, willing to take over her mind once again. Before he could do it, however, he was met with a furious Juvia blocking his view.

"Oh, no you don't!" she yelled, before pulling her arm back. She punched the teenager in the stomach before he could use his magic and started to push upwards, her water surrounding her arm.

**_WATER NEBULA!_ **

Luppi's body was blown upwards by a giant helix of water, a scream of pain escaping his mouth. He limply flew in the air, before landing on the ground with his back, his last bits of consciousness leaving him. The Mind was defeated, no longer able to terrorize people with his disgusting magic any longer.

Despite their victory, neither of women could really celebrate. With their enemy finally subdued, they both dropped to their knees, letting the fear and despair they kept under their feet squeeze out.

"I can't stop shaking." whispered quietly Lucy. She looked at her hand, as it shook like jelly against her will. Right next to her was Juvia, who pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped them with her arms, trying to stop her shaking.

The aftereffects of Luppi's magic hit them harder than they expected. There was no need for words: they both understood each other perfectly.

After a short while, Juvia stood up and coughed up, clearing her throat. "Let's tie him up and join the others. I'm worried about them."

She then extended her hand in Lucy's direction. The blonde smiled gently and took it, allowing her friend to help her get up.

"Yes, let's do it."

* * *

**5 minutes earlier, Tower of Heaven, Fifth Floor**

Erza was now walking through the fifth floor, with unconscious Jellal still on her shoulders. Her pace was slow, but steady. much to her suprise, considering the state she was in. She took a corner and felt her eyes widen in a pleasant suprise, with a familiar figure walking before her, someone holstered onto his back as well, with Arthur's limp figure dandling with each step he took..

"Laxus!" she called out to the man.

The Dragon Slayer jumped in his spot and slowly turned around, relieved to see the knight. "Yo. I see you're done as well?" he asked, noticing her baggage.

"Yes. But I couldn't just leave him there. Can't risk his escape."

Laxus didn't seem to buy this little excuse, but didn't mention it. "Yeah. Same here."

Both S-Class mages walked next to each other in silence for few minutes, before a voice echoed in Erza's mind.

_"Hello? Erza-san?"_

The knight stopped in her tracks upon recognizing it. "Hibiki?! Did something happen? Are you okay?"

The man laughed defensively at her worried questions. _"Yes, we are perfectly fine. Gajeel-san and Mirajane-san are already on the ship, their injuries patched up, their lives no longer in danger. We've also retrieved all prisoners that were present in the tower after our arrival. They're weak, but their lives are not in danger."_

Erza smirked. She expected no less from her friends.

_"Although, there is a small problem. Gray-san left the ship in a very weak and injured state. I'm afraid he's back in the tower, seeking revenge. He and Gajeel-san lost their battle with one of the Commandments."_

Erza's smile faded, though her expectations were not betrayed. When it came to Gray being reckless and stupid, he was second to none.

"Me and Laxus are done with our fights as well. _"_ said Erza. "We are currently heading towards Lucy and Juvia. Gray is bound to be somewhere around there as well. As for his opponent, we'll deal with her as soon as possible. All that's left is her, the man controlling the Chairman and their Master. Natsu is currently battling him on the top floor."

 _"I'm very pleased to hear that."_ Hibiki sighed in relief. _"And I think you will be pleased to hear, that the Chairman and the Council itself had been stopped! Master Makarov and Jura-san successfully stopped the launch of Etherion!"_

Erza could not describe the weight that was taken off her chest, even if she wanted to. She could simply breathe out in relief and smile dearly, with Laxus smirking right next to her.

"Way to go, old man." he said.

"That means we are no longer in danger. Thank you for sharing this with us, Hibiki. Make sure to let us know if anything changes." said Erza with a smile.

_"The pleasure's all mine. I will await your arrival in the ship. Stay safe."_

Hibiki's voice gone out, meaning he cut the link. Erza adjusted Jellal's figure on her shoulders and looked at Laxus.

"Well then, shall we-"

All of a sudden, gravity around her increased, immediately making her back bend against her will. Her breath stopped in her throat, her eyes widening in confusion and shock, her body already familiar with this feeling. With the corner of her eye, she spotted Laxus, who was in similar position to her. The sudden outburst of magic power appeared to come from above, as it pulled the pair down towards the floor, suffocating them as well. Erza tried to keep her knees away from buckling under her weight, which came with great difficulty. Unsure of what was happening, she slowly looked at the ceiling, before picking up a strange sound with her ears. A sound that resembled something she's heard not too long ago, something she was truly scared of. A roar.

Before she could ask Laxus about it, she felt Jellal stir on her back, as he weakly chuckled to himself. She turned her head around to face him, a weak smile on his face, his mind still unconscious. Despite his sorry state, he was able to whisper one sentence.

"Looks like the beast is howling."

**End of Chapter 12. To be continued in Chapter 13: The God.**

* * *


	14. The God

**Tower of Heaven, Fourth Floor**

Erza and Laxus finally arrived at their destination, their opponents still sprawled on their back. The way down took them much longer than they expected, mostly because of their baggage and the recent outburst.

"Are they still here?" asked Erza.

Laxus sniffed the air. "Yeah. We're close."

The pair walked through the battle scarred floor, until they made it to the main area. The S-Class mages stopped and dropped their luggage, Laxus being slightly less gentle than Erza.

"Lucy! Juvia!" called out the knight.

With the corner of the eye she stopped a blonde head peeking out from behind the debris, with Lucy's uncertain face checking out the owner of the voice. At the sight of the knight, the girl beamed and ran out from behind her hiding, Juvia following her in suit shortly afterwards.

"Erza! You're all right!" Lucy threw herself at the redhead with way too much force, clutching her in a tight hug. The knight groaned from pain, Lucy's warm hug causing more damage to her already sore body.

"Keep hugging me like that and I won't be." gasped Erza with a weak laugh.

Lucy quickly freed Erza from her grasp, which Erza greeted with a sigh of relief. "Sorry! I was just really worried about..."

Her eyes then fell on Laxus, who was currently sitting on the ground behind Erza, Juvia already by his side. He was practically soaked in his own blood, his body wrapped in multiple cloths meant to stop the bleeding. It was a miracle he could even walk.

The Dragon Slayer met her horrified and worried gaze with his own. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine." he waved his hand at her.

Lucy wasn't entirely convinced, but decided to drop the subject, much to Laxus' relief. She then blinked and looked at Erza, realisation kicking in.

"Erza, these clothes..."

Erza blinked and looked down. "Ah. Don't worry about it, this is-"

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked with a concerned tone and quickly grabbed a hold of her hands, her own trying to cover the redhead's wrists. Erza smiled at the gesture and took a hold of Lucy's hands, giving them a light squeeze.

"Never better." she replied with a smile. "I'll tell you all about it when we get out of here. It's a long story."

The blonde searched through Erza's eyes, as if looking for any hints of a lie, something she was already used to, but couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary. She smiled and returned the grip. "I'll gladly listen to everything."

Juvia was currently wrapping a fresh cloth around Laxus' stomach, much to his annoyance. Once finished, she stood up and walked up to Erza.

"Have you felt that massive explosion of magic power on your way here?" she asked the knight.

"Yes. Since you're asking me about it, does this mean it reached you all the way down here?"

"It did." replied Lucy. "We thought we'd get squeezed into the ground."

"We weren't that much further from ending up that way either." said Erza with a small smile.

"If it wasn't either of you, then who?" added Juvia with a light frown.

Erza looked at the bluenette for a moment, before shifting her eyes onto the ceiling. "I have an idea." she said quietly.

Laxus looked at the knight. "You sure you don't wanna help him?"

Erza turned around to face him. "I am. This is something Natsu has to do on his own, I have no right to stick my nose in this matter."

Laxus continued to stare into Erza's eyes, before lightly exhaling with his nose. "If you say so." He then spotted something with his eye. He blinked a few times and frowned. "Who the hell is that?"

The women looked at him, before turning around to take a look at his discovery. Their eyes laid on defeated Luppi, who was currently laying on the ground on his back, his limbs sprawled in all directions.

"He's one of the Commandments. The one responsible for controlling the Chairman." replied Lucy with a grim voice.

Erza's eyes widened in shock. "Did we miss him on our way through?!"

Juvia nodded. "He was hiding in one of the cells. He was waiting for us."

Erza clenched her teeth in anger. She left them on this floor to keep them away from danger, and yet she basically presented them both to the enemy on a silver platter, making them go through something horrible. She looked at them both, their heads hanged low, their faces pale and grim. Whatever it was that happened here, it must've been terrible.

"Forgive me." said quietly Erza. "This is all my fault. Because of my poor judgement, you had to go through this nightmare."

Lucy shook her head. "Don't be. I'm actually glad it happened."

The knight looked at her with slight suprise.

"The Chairman is not being controlled anymore. Etherion will not be launched!" she finished with a smile.

Erza couldn't help but smile as well. "I guess that completes my news."

Lucy blinked in confusion. "What?"

"On my way here, I was contacted by Hibiki. He gave me Mirajane, Gajeel and Gray's status and a message from Master. They have successfully taken over the Council, thus cancelling Etherion's launch. Now, with their control over Chairman broken, Seven Commandments' plan has crumbled into nothingness."

Lucy and Juvia couldn't help but smile in joy. "That's great news!" said Juvia.

"Victory!" exclaimed Lucy and hugged Juvia. She then calmed down and looked at Erza. "What about the others? Are they okay?"

Erza's smile slightly faded away. She considered lying to the blonde, but ultimately decided not to. "I'll be blunt. Mira and Gajeel are severely injured. They are both on board Christina, their injuries no longer threatening their lives."

Juvia's eyes widened. "No longer?" she repeated slowly. These words meant, that at some point, her friends were few steps away from death, which greatly disturbed the rainwoman.

"As for Gray..." continued Erza. Juvia's eyes widened even more, as she ran up to the knight and grabbed a hold of her hand. "What about him?!" she asked in a raised voice.

"He received treatment, but left the ship. He's currently in the tower. With his injuries, he shouldn't be moving at all. We have to find him and bring him back."

Juvia let go of the redhead's hand and looked at the floor, worry creeping into her mind.

"There's also another problem. One of the Commandments is currently on the loose somewhere in the tower. There's a high chance she gets to Gray before us, therefore, we must hurry."

Juvia and Lucy nodded eagerly. They both walked up to Laxus, one on each of his sides, ready to pick him up. As much as he wanted to argue, he knew he wouldn't be able to walk without their help, so he simply let the women lift him off the ground. He then took a look at unconscious Jellal and Arthur. "You sure we should leave them like that?"

Erza looked at the Commandments, a slight feeling of irritation awakening in her mind. She had completely forgotten about them.

"No. I am not."

She then quickly Requipped a set of rope and began tying them up, tightly wrapping them from head to toe. She had no access to anti-magic cuffs, but in their current condition, even getting out of these binds should be a challenge. After a short while she was done, Jellal and Arthur wrapped in a cocoon of rope. She then grabbed her sword, ready to move out.

"Let us move. There's no time to waste. Let's start with the floor beneath, he couldn't have gotten too far with these injur-"

Erza's words were cut off by a loud noise coming from above. Before any of the Fairy Tail mages could react, something smashed into the floor in front of them after crashing through the ceiling, pieces of debris flying in all directions, a big cloud of dust quickly forming itself. Erza was forced to cover her face with her arms to protect her eyes from shards of the floor, as she, along with everyone else began to cough after being swallowed by the dust. After a while, it cleared out, allowing the knight to take a proper look at what happened.

The ceiling was now decorated with a hole that appeared to be present on each and every single floor above the one they currently resided on. After examining it for few seconds, Erza shifted her eyes onto the ground, blood freezing in her veins. In front of her laid a giant pile of rubble and debris, placed in a large crater, the floor beneath it cracked in all directions. From beneath this pile of rubble peeked out a male arm, the remains of a black jacket still present on its skin, the scar around its wrist gleaming in the light, as its owner laid there, completely immobile.

"Natsu!" cried out Erza in despair, as she threw herself in his direction, leaving shocked Juvia, Laxus and Lucy behind.

* * *

**20 minutes earlier, Tower of Heaven, Top Floor**

After dragging out his way up the stairs for as long as he could, Natsu finally found himself right in front of his goal. He slowly lifted his right leg and pushed it forwards, kicking the massive door down. The wood easily gave up under his strength and flew out of its hinges, opening the entrance to the room. The pinkette lowered his leg and entered the massive room. It was a giant, practically empty hall, that took over vast majority of the floor. Just above the entrance was a giant window, that granted the view up to the very shore. At the very center of the room, on top of a red stairway stood a throne, with a male figure with silver hair sitting on it. By the very end of the stairs stood the remains of a coffin, its interiors still gently burning. The moonlight gently lit up the already dark room, the dark blue walls reflecting barely any light. The ceiling was decorated with multiple fancy, gold chandeliers, all of them full of small candles, that gave just enough light to take a good look at the area. This display gave the hall a menacing and creepy vibe, that greatly caught the pressure raising in the air with each second.

The man in the throne looked down at his visitor, his crimson eyes gleaming in the dark, his lips curving in a smile.

"Welcome, Natsu. I've been expecting you."

Natsu's fists clenched themselves on their own. "Silva."

Silva gently stood up from his throne. He was clad in a dark coat, that reached all the way to his ankles. Beneath his coat, he was wearing a black buttonless jacket, with silver straps that ran down his arms from his shoulder, ending on the rings formed on the very end of the sleeves. The jacket was tucked to his right side and behind his brown belt. He had tall black boots, with his dark grey pants tugged behind them. This dark display of colors worked wonders with his long, silver hair.

"Seven years. How time flies." said Silva, before starting to walk down the stairs. "Who would have thought we would meet under such circumstances? Personally, I've never expected the troublesome child from years back to turn into such an important piece in my game."

He was now half-way down, when he suddenly stopped walking. "And what an unruly piece you are. By my calculations, if it hadn't been for your persistence in ruining our plans, the world would have been a better place for years now. But don't worry, Natsu. You are forgiven, as tonight, you will take responsibility for your actions. You see..."

"For years."

Silva's monologue was interrupted by Natsu. The man closed his open mouth and looked at the Dragon Slayer, who was currently staring at the ground, his head hanged low. His fists were lightly clenched, his voice calm.

"For years, I was wondering what would happen if I found myself standing in front of you. What would I do, what would I feel, how would I react, what would I say. I've played the scenario in my head hundreds of times, to the point where sometimes I had to convince myself it hadn't happened yet. For years, I felt all this anger and hatred building up every time I remembered you, every single act ended up in me bashing your head in. I was so frustrated I couldn't get my hands on you, I couldn't help but train myself to exhaustion, or lash out on your men until they died, or could no longer stay conscious. But with each year, that feeling was slowly dying out, to the point where I didn't even know the point of what I was doing. Until one day, when I've realised something. I didn't want to acknowledge it at first, but now that I'm standing right in front of you, it's all clear."

Natsu took his eyes off the ground and locked them with Silva's. "Even when I'm staring into your eyes, I don't even know what to feel. I should be furious, I shouldn't be even talking to you, I should be lashing out on you. But I just can't."

Silva smirked. "Hatred is a wild, burning flame. It can grow big and powerful, but can easily fade away with time. Yours lasted for a long time, but it appears, it no longer-"

"As an individual, that is."

Natsu once again cut Silva off, much to the man's irritation. He looked at the Dragon Slayer with a raised eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Natsu took a while to reply. He looked at his right hand and opened it. "The more time I spent out there, the more I realised it's not just about me. What you've done to me, to our village was terrible. I still want to slaughter you all for what you've done back then. But I am not alone."

Natsu tightly clenched his fist and looked at Silva with burning eyes, as he forced his painful memories of Marie's body in his arms back to the corners of his mind. "All those people I saw with my own eyes, taken away from their homes, kept against their will, forced to do your bidding. All the homes destroyed, all the families torn apart, all the people I've failed to save, all the lives you've taken in this cursed building. Seeing it all gave me a new purpose in life, it filled me with a new sense. A sense of duty."

Silva listened to the Dragon Slayer with a calm face, unimpressed with his monologue.

Natsu's fist lit up in flames, his tone and expression getting more and more wild with each second. "My duty is to take you all down, no matter the cost. Not because of my personal grudge, but because it is my duty, which I owe to all the people, who went through the very same horror as I did. All my life, I've been doing nothing but hurting people, even those who did not deserve it. At the very end, I might as well do something good for a change, and end you once and for all."

Silva's eyes slightly widened in shock. He quickly recovered, however, and gently sighed, before resuming his way down once again. "And here I was, excited for our fateful meeting. Words cannot express how disappointed I am, Salamander. I was hoping you wouldn't end up as all those self righteous, blind fools, that roam our beautiful, diseased world. Unless, of course, you are simply lying to yourself, to justify you own actions and make you feel right."

Seeing that his taunt had no effect on the Dragon Slayer, Silva dropped it and continued his monologue.

"I was hoping that by showing you the truth of this world at a very young age, you would make a good decision, and help us bring peace and justice. It makes me sad, that after years of my hard work, I ended up awakening only six people. I'm actually starting to doubt my own methods."

He then stopped just few steps away from the ground and spread his arms out. "This world is cruel, Natsu. The strong feed on the weak. You've just said your duty is destroying us. Mine is bringing peace and harmony to the world. We all deserve to be equal, and Zeref's guidance will be the very first step in our revolution!"

"Cut the bullshit." growled Natsu, earning him a confused look from Silva. "We both know you'd rather die, than willingly put someone above you. You'd let them name you The God for a reason."

Silva stared at Natsu for a short while, his mouth lightly agape, before twisting it into a sinister grin. "Oh? You've figured it out?"

Natsu left this question unanswered and instead continued to drill a hole in Silva's face with his stare. Seeing that further discussion was pointless, he regained his composure and resumed his way down.

With one final step, he finally made it all the way down the stairs, and stood few meters before Natsu. He took a look at the pinkette's figure and smirked, completely dropping his earlier facade. "Despite all the things we've just said, I do have to praise you. Knowing full well you are no match for me and my magic, you still decide to aim your fists in my direction. Consider the God amused."

Natsu made nothing of the man's taunts and simply said two words. "The Snatcher"

Silva's eyes widened in shock at the sound of these words. "What did you say?" he asked, his condescending tone gone.

"That's the name of your magic." replied Natsu, his voice confident.

Silva clenched his teeth in anger and slowly looked at the coffin right next to him. "Grigol..." he growled.

"He simply confirmed it. I figured it out on my own." said the Dragon Slayer. " **Lost Magic: The Snatcher.** The ability to steal other people's magic, and either keep it for ourselves, or grant it to others. There are multiple conditions you have to meet, before successfully taking someone's magic away. Learning its nature, what it does, how it's activated and whether it's Lost or not are just a few of them. Even after you gain a new ability, you still have to learn how to use it from scratch, rendering you at square one, no matter the point of mastery of its previous owner."

A vein popped on Silva's forehead, sweat running down his temple. A disgusting feeling of defeat crawled onto his neck, anger building up inside of him.

"You're no God. You're just a sadistic scum, who also happens to be a thief." growled Natsu.

With one swift move of his arm, Silva struck the coffin in anger, breaking it into tiny pieces, Grigol's ashes spilling onto the floor.

"Well done, Natsu." said quietly the man. "Perhaps this little meeting will grant me a small dose of enjoyment after all. You are not required to be whole for the ceremony, which leaves room for some fun."

Natsu bent his knees, ready to charge. "You will die today, Silva."

The Commandment simply smirked in response and took off his coat, before throwing it aside. "I wonder."

In one moment, Natsu let all the pent up feelings to take over his mind, his flame once again burning with great strength. He kicked the ground as hard as he could, and dashed at Silva, at speed he hasn't used in a long while, not holding anything back. He pulled his arm back and struck the man's face as hard as he could, his flames exploding upon impact. Once they cleared, Natsu realised he hasn't made contact with the man, his fist stuck in the air few centimeters away from Silva's face, pressing against something hard and invisible.

Silva smirked and quickly answered by striking Natsu's face with his right hand, his palm open. Natsu dodged the strike by ducking underneath and threw an overhand left, aimed at the man's face. Silva blocked the strike at the last second, by putting his left hand up to his face and catching it before it connected with his cheek. Despite blocking the strike, he received majority of its impact. Both men remained frozen in their positions, glaring at each other. Blood flew out of the right corner of Silva's mouth, revealing the effects of Natsu's punch. After a second, he lightly squeezed Natsu's right hand.

In an instance, Natsu's arm blew up, a cloud of blood exploding right next to his face, few drops of it falling onto his face. In pure shock and fear, Natsu quickly threw a panicked right straight into Silva's face, which connected, and forcefully snatched his left arm out of his grip. He jumped back as far as he could and fearfully looked down at his trembling, stinging arm, afraid of what he was about to find out. His left arm was covered in multiple shallow cuts, varying from short ones on his fingers, to very long ones that reached up to his elbow. Despite the grotesque sight, there was no serious damage to the hand, which Natsu took with relief. He ripped the remains of his sleeve and wrapped it around his wounded arm, his eyes glued to Silva while doing so.

"As expected of a Dragon Slayer." said the man, while wiping his mouth off. "My intentions were to shred your arm into tiny bits, however all I've managed to give you are cat scratches. The durability that comes with your magic is truly magnificent. Then again, this magic is the newest addition to my collection, I am still a novice at controlling it. But, I must give praise where it is required, and you most certainly deserve it. It appears I will be forced to put slightly more effort into this than I'd previously thought."

Natsu pulled the cloth with his teeth, finishing his first aid and resumed his fighting stance. "You won't even get a chance."

He kicked the ground and charged at Silva once again. He quickly closed the distance between them and kicked his middle section, only to feel his foot stop few centimeters away from his target, once again meeting air. Not phased by it, he put his leg down and jumped over Silva, throwing few kicks into his head while in the air, all of them facing the fame fate. He then landed directly behind Silva and turned around on his feet, using the momentum and his entire body weight to strike his back with all his might, his flames once again exploding upon impact. But just like all the other attacks, it was rendered useless, with an invisible wall standing between him and Silva.

Silva smirked and gently turned around to face the pinkette. "Your fist will not reach me ever again."

He then extended his left hand and put it in Natsu's face. A second later, Natsu was blown back by an explosion that hit him point blank. Feeling his skin burning and hurting from impact, he grimaced from pain and turned around in the air, before falling on all fours and sliding on the floor. He lifted his head, only to see that Silva was nowhere to be found. His instincts cried out in danger, and with a sheer miracle, he threw himself to the side, avoiding Silva's devastating hand, that touched the ground and blew it up, knocking both men backwards.

Natsu once again slid on the floor and covered his face with his arms, guarding his eyes from dust. _"That's the third magic. No matter how skilled he is, there is no way he can have more abilities than that. A barrier to protect himself, and two offensive magics. Bastard's pretty stacked up."_

Knowing full well than wondering about it was pointless, Natsu rushed in Silva's direction once again, his hands lit up. He got inside of his range and threw a right uppercut, that was easily dodged by Silva. He then extended his pivot and threw a left hook, to which Silva responded by sidestepping to his right. Natsu quickly turned on his feet and threw a right hook that was blocked by the Barrier, only to then put his left hand on the wall as well, and launch a powerful blast of flames. Much to his suprise, the flames splattered to the sides, not damaging the wall at all.

"A pain in the ass barrier and two powerful magics to shred your opponents with. That's three in total. You sure as hell are a greedy bastard, aren't you." growled Natsu.

Silva simply chuckled at these words, which annoyed Natsu even further. "Three? Couldn't be more far from the truth."

Suddenly, he vanished. Natsu's eyes widened in shock, his ears picking up a faint sound of footsteps behind him. He quickly turned around, only to see Silva's face in front of his, his fist retracted. Using all the strength he had in his legs, Natsu jumped back just in time to avoid The God's punch. His fist made contact with the ground and broke it into dozens of tiny pieces, the entire floor cracking and breaking under the weight of his strike. Natsu landed several meters away and couldn't help but stagger in the uneven ground, his eyes wide and full of terror.

"T-this is...Grigol's..." was all he could muster at the very moment.

Silva pulled his fist out from the ground and shook it a little, assessing its state. After seeing it was not damaged at all, he gave it a light squeezed and turned to Natsu. "Yes, Body Enhancement Magic. The very same magic Grigol used to have two days ago." He then noticed the state Natsu was in and laughed gently. "Don't be so suprised, Natsu. Who exactly do you think he got it from?"

Salamander still couldn't believe what just happened. "But...how..."

Silva's face twisted in a sinister grin. "I never said I couldn't take magic off corpses now, did I?"

Shock was defeated by disgust and anger, as Natsu's face slowly twisted into a scowl. "You scum."

"I admit, my control over it is a bit lacking. It's been years, after all. But I think I still got the basics." said the Commandment while checking out his body, ignoring Natsu's insult. He then clenched his fist and smiled at the Dragon Slayer. "Let's try it out."

In an instance, Silva dashed at the pinkette, not giving him a chance to put up his guard. Natsu threw a quick right straight, which was bypassed by Silva, who answered with a right hook to his jaw. Natsu's head was blown aside, but he remained in his spot. He grit his teeth and replied with a right hook of his own, only to hit nothing but air, with Silva gone. He then felt sharp pain in his back, with Silva kicking him from behind. Natsu replied to that with a right backfist that sent a massive wave of flames, only to once again miss his target. He quickly turned around in a wild guess, which turned out to be correct, with Silva punching him in the gut. Gasping for air, Natsu felt multiple strikes nail into his body, unable to react. He put up his guard and tried to survive the onslaught, his mind racing.

 _"It's been 10 seconds already, how the hell can he still move like that?!"_ he wondered, feeling his nose being squashed by Silva's fist. Fed up with this, he lit up his entire body on fire and expanded the aura as far as he could, forcing the Commandment to jump back, which allowed Natsu to finally take a breath.

"It appears I've still got it." muttered Silva to himself, as he watched his right hand with fascination. He then looked at Natsu and smirked. "If you're wondering why my usage of this magic is so different, it's because it is one of the most flexible magics in the world. Its usage is dependant on the user. Grigol was a power hungry fool, who put brute strength above all, which greatly crippled his capabilities and made him full of weaknesses. I spread out the power all over my body and dose it accordingly, which grants me not only superior speed when compared to him, but also vastly extends my time limit."

Natsu clenched his teeth in anger, desperation slowly creeping into his heart. "I've beat Grigol, and I will do the same with you."

"I do wonder about that." retorted Silva. "Earlier, you said I had three magics. Now, that I've showed you that is not the case, I guess I could do you a little favor and save you the shock that would most likely come to you in near future. I do not possess four magics. I possess six."

Natsu's eyes widened in fear. _Six?_ "You're bluffing." he growled.

"Why don't you find out for yourself? You've always been a slow learner, even as a child. I think we both remember it very well."

Natsu couldn't help himself from charging at the man, even if he wanted to. Hearing the very man who put him through hell mention these events made him snap, his last bits of reason slowly giving in to fury. He lit up his fists once again and ran towards Silva, his torso leaned against the ground, which greatly increased his speed. In response, Silva squatted in his spot and put his hands on the ground.

All of a sudden, multiple spikes grew out from the ground, all of them aimed at Natsu. Halting himself at the last possible second, he avoided being impaled by jumping back, however some of them did manage to scratch his legs and arms a bit. As soon as he landed, he felt a presence in front of him, with Silva quickly closing the distance with Body Enhancement Magic. He delivered a powerful kick to the pinkette's stomach, which made him cough up blood and blow him back. He rolled on the ground, before finally regaining him position and blindly charging at the man once again, his reason dulled. Silva simply smirked and tapped the ground with his foot, spikes growing out from the ground once again. In response, Natsu jumped and lit up his fist, before smashing it into the spikes.

**_FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!_ **

The punch shattered the spikes and covered Natsu's figure in shards of the ground and dust. When he finally flew out of the cloud, he spotted Silva, his hands extended in front of him, aimed in Natsu's direction.

**_EXPLODING WAVE!_ **

A massive explosion was sent in Natsu's direction, hitting the Dragon Slayer in his entirety. He was blown away, his body covered in light burn marks, the stinging pain all over his body fueling his rage even further. He flipped in the air and landed on all fours, ready to attack again, but before he had a chance, he spotted a giant pillar heading in his direction. He sidestepped to his right, easily dodging it, but with the corner of his eye, he spotted a weird red marking on the solid surface. Before he could react, Silva snapped his fingers, which caused the pillar to explode, hurting Natsu and blowing him away to the side. He once again rolled on the ground, his body becoming heavier with each taken hit, as he slowly approached his limit. Despite the pain, he once again stood up and resumed his fighting stance, his hands swalled by flames yet again.

"I was expecting more resistance, Natsu. Please, try not to disappoint my expectations." mocked Silva, playing on the pinkette's nerves. "You're fighting for all the people I've hurt, are you not? Right now, you are not disappointing just me, but them as well."

The last sentence hit its mark, with Natsu once again throwing himself at the Commandment in despair. Just like earlier, Silva replied by putting his hands on the floor, but instead of spikes, he grew out giant cubes formed into pillars, that greatly changed the terrain, blocking Salamander's way in the process. Natsu stopped in his tracks after being lifted towards the ceiling by one of the pillars and puffed out his chest, his magic power rising.

**_FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!_ **

Purging flames hit the reconstructed ground, shattering it like glass. They burned them into nothingness and flew right into Silva, much to his suprise. In response, the man flexed his right arm and punched in the flames' direction, a giant shockwave breaking the roar into tiny bits of fire. Making nothing of it, Natsu continued his dash, his path clear of any obstacles, as he jumped in the air, ready to use another roar. Seeing this, Silva raised his arm and extended his index and middle fingers, keeping the rest of his fingers bent inwards his palm. He then raised it in the air, before slicing the air with his fingers.

**_AIR SLICER!_ **

Everything in front of Silva, including the very ground itself was cut in two, a thin, sharp slice of air flying across the floor. The attack pierce through the wall and escaped the tower, flying into the horizon. Natsu fell to the ground. He covered his face with his hand, blood dripping down his palm, as he stood up. Despite dodging the attack at the last second, he was still caught, a big cut spreading across his face at an angle, from above his left eyebrow, across his nose and down his cheek, ending just next to his lip.

Making nothing out of his newest injury, Natsu dashed once again, adrenaline making him immune to pain. Seeing that the Dragon Slayer was still eager to resist, he put up his hands on his sides and aimed his palms at the Dragon Slayer, his fingers twisted into claws.

**_AIR CANNON: GATLING GUN!_ **

The God started to push multiple balloons of air towards Natsu, his hands turning into machine guns. Natsu used his sharp instincts to dodge every single bullet sent his way, as he zig zagged his way through the onslaught. Seeing that he had no means of hitting Natsu with this attack, Silva and extended his hands further and focused his magic in his palms.

**_AIR WAVE!_ **

Silva sent a strong wave of wind in Natsu's direction, who jumped over it. Now, in the air, he pulled his arm back and focused his magic in his fist, his fire reaching unbearable temperatures. In response, Silva tapped the ground with his foot once again, a giant pillar slowly growing out of the ground behind him. He then gently tapped it with his right hand and then smacked his arm in Natsu's direction, the structure flying into him at full speed. The pinkette put up his left arm and sent a giant fireball to the side, which changed the trajectory of his flight, and allowed him to pass right by the pillar. However, just like before, it was marked, and it blew up right next to the Dragon Slayer, a giant explosion swallowing his figure.

Silva smirked in triumph, sure of his victory. But that was short lived, as Natsu jumped out of the cloud, with no new injuries on his figure. Silva's eyes widened in slight shock, as he watched Natsu pulled his fist back, his flames so hot they were almost white in color.

**_FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!_ **

Natsu struck with everything he had, the area around him blowing up from the impact, his flames spreading all over the floor. The surface beneath his feet cracked even further, making the entire floor unstable and easy to collapse. After a long while, the dust cleared, as Natsu panted heavily, awaiting the results of his attack. His eyes slowly widened in terror upon meeting Silva's crimson eyes, who was safe and sound after blocking the strike with his barrier. However, despite being uninjured, he was still shaken up by the strength of the strike, most likely considering the scenario where he did not protect himself in time.

"As I've already told you." he said, his voice quiet, with anger creeping behind it. "Your fist will never reach me."

The God struck the pinkette's face with a powerful left straight, which sent him flying. He landed on his back several meters away, blood flowing down his face from his cut. He slowly stood up, breathing heavily, the last attack vastly draining his remaining stamina.

"This is becoming stale. Instead of enjoyment, all I can muster is irritation." said quietly Silva, displeased with the turn of events. He dusted off his clothes and locked his eyes with Natsu. "The only thing driving you is despair and desperation. You are well aware you have no chance of winning, but you keep pushing yourself forward in order to satisfy your own ego. This farce has gone on for far too long. It's time I've ended this."

Natsu growled and charged at Silva, his steps heavy and tense.

"But before our goodbye, there is something I've got to tell you, Natsu." said the Commandment, before effortlessly dodging the Dragon Slayer's punch. "I forgot to mention a very crucial point regarding my Barrier."

"I don't care!" roared Natsu, before kicking in Silva's direction, only to be blocked once again.

"You see..." continued the man, as he kept blocking and dodging each and every strike. "The damage absorbed by this magic does not simply disappear. Barrier is not just a magic that protects me from harm - if I were to compare it to an item you might be familiar with, it'd be a sponge. It absorbs all received damage in one place, and keeps it sealed."

**_FIRE DRAGON'S JAW!_ **

The entire floor shook down to its core, as Natsu smashed his joined hands into the ground, only for Silva to escape with the increased speed, granted him by his Body Enhancement Magic. He then quickly stepped in and kicked Natsu in the stomach. The Dragon Slayer grit his teeth in pain, before locking his hands on Silva's leg and raising him by it, suprising the man. Silva then quickly switched to his explosions and touched Natsu's hands, causing them to blow up. His grip on Silva's leg loosened up, his sore, stinging hands not listening to him. Natsu grit his teeth in pain and jumped out of the smoke, only to find Silva right in front of his face.

"Thanks to that, I can do this."

Silva put his hand on Natsu's sternum and calmly said one word.

**_REPEL_ **

Excruciating pain shook Natsu right to his core, his eyes immediately losing their focus, breath leaving his body, a giant amount of blood escaping his open mouth. along with a weird, almost inhuman squeek. He was sent flying backwards, as he bounced off the ground like a ball, before halting, with his back smashing into something hard. Silva created a wall just behind Natsu to keep him away from falling out of the tower and clenched his fist, wires of concrete and ground starting to slowly wrap themselves around the Dragon Slayer, keeping him stuck to the wall. Natsu tried to escape, his heavy, sore body not listening to his commands, as he desperately fought for even a single breath.

"How does it feel, being hit with the accumulated force of all the strikes you've thrown at me?" asked Silva with a smirk. His only response was Natsu's hateful glare.

"Well, it doesn't matter now. It's over, Natsu. There are no words in this world to express my disappointment."

Natsu growled through his clenched teeth and started to violently shake in his bounds, the hard, solid material wrapping more and more of his body, now leaving only his chest and head out of its grasp.

"Still, my own, personal feelings are not important here, as you do deserve some sort of a praise. Not only have you killed one Commandment, you've managed to injure three others. You've both exceeded and disappointed my expectations, how ironic is that?"

Once again, Silva received no reply, his crimson eyes watching the struggling Dragon Slayer with amusement. His chest was now covered in the hardened floor, as it slowly crawled onto his mouth.

"Since this is farewell, as we will never see each other again, I must express my gratitude towards you, Natsu. Thanks to you, my dream of a perfect world will finally come true. Soon, I will free your unconscious body from its prison and sacrifice you to bring back Zeref. Then, once all the pieces are finally in their place, I will activate the command I've put in Luppi's brain upon granting him his magic. Against his own will, he will be forced to give his own life for my future, and transfer my mind into Zeref's body, granting me his superior knowledge of magic and magic power. Once that is complete, I will finally be able to cleanse this world off its filth - wizards."

Silva clenched his teeth in disgust, his hatred towards wizards kicking in. "Magic is too beautiful for this world. People living here do not deserve the beauty it grants us. Instead of using it for greater purpose, it is mindlessly used to spread violence, destruction and tragedy. One in a tenth is born a wizard, and yet despite these ridiculous odds, all of those blessed with this gift use it for their own, selfish needs. But no more."

Natsu stopped struggling and listened to Silva, his eyes wide and unable to believe what he'd just heard.

"I am currently too weak to make a difference, but with Zeref's power, I will be able to purge this world and rebuild it anew. Earlier, you've mentioned all the people that met their end in this tower. They were a nourishment for the future of others. What is a couple thousands, when compared to millions? In order to change something, we must sacrifice something in return. And tonight, my dream will finally come true. For making that happen, I will be forever in your debt, Natsu."

Natsu's eyes were the only thing free from his binds, as he continued to dumbly stare at the Commandment, only one thought circling in his mind.

_"He's insane."_

"To pay it, let me share a certain information with you." said Natsu, earning himself a confused look from the Dragon Slayer. "Despite not asking me about it earlier, I am most certain this question is still present at the back of your mind. This question being: What happened to your friends after you've escaped from us?"

Natsu threw himself in his binds once again, his screams muffled.

"After killing the woman who set you all free, we went an extra mile and successfully caught majority of the escaped children. They were then escorted here, where they worked for my dream. As for their end..."

Silva stopped and watched Natsu, who calmly waited to hear the rest, his eyes wide and fearful.

"Let's just say you've met them today, upon entering the tower." finished The God with a small smirk.

Realisation kicked Natsu harder than any blow, as he remembered the exploding bodies he's encountered upon entering the tower. Tears formed in his eyes, fury slowly starting to take over his mind, however, before he could give in to it, Silva quickly finished restraining him, his eyes being covered by the concrete. Natsu was successfully sealed, left to suffocate and become unconscious in his binds.

Silva sighed through his nose, letting his victory sink in deep into his very soul. He couldn't help the small smile that formed on his face, as he slowly raised his fingers up to his temple and tried to reach out to Luppi through their private mind link.

_"Luppi, answer me."_

There was a small pause after these words, but the teenager obediently responded.

_"Yes, Master?"_

_"I have captured Salamander. Retreat to the top floor immediately."_

Another pause. Silva couldn't help but frown, sensing that situation on the other end may have not been going according to his plans.

_"I am currently trying to get back to you, Master. There are some difficulties, however. It may take me a while to get back to you."_

Cold sweat covered Silva's neck. If something happened to the most important piece of his plan, everything was lost. He looked at sealed Natsu - leaving him with no supervision was out of the question. Feeling his feet getting wet, Silva decided to stay calm and deal with the situation as always.

_"Retreat back at all cost. That is an order."_

_"As you wish, Master."_

With that said, the link was cut off. The God frowned, his blood pressure raising. If Luppi was all alone, did it mean all the other Commandments have already fallen? How was that possible? A guild capable of destroying everything on its path defeated by a mere legal guild full of fakes? The sheer thought was inconceivable.

All of a sudden, the sound of something cracking reached his ears. Silva twitched and quickly turned in the direction of the sound, which came from Natsu's prison. The God carefully watched it in suspense, disbelief creeping into his mind. Then, more cracks appeared on the surface, not making the Commandment fully certain of the situation.

Before he could react, the cage exploded, pieces of debris flying in all directions, with a furious Dragon Slayer emerging from its remains, as he growled through his grit, bare teeth. He then locked his eyes with Silva, small lightnings beginning to crackle around his body.

With absolutely no warning, Natsu roared into the ceiling, his body exploding in a massive aura of fire and lightning, triple the size of his own body. The gravity in the hall increased, making it difficult for Silva to breathe, with Natsu's magic power increasing with each second, as he continued to roar, his voice and magic causing the entire tower to shake. Despite its furious, wild nature, Natsu's scream was filled with sadness and despair, something that scared the Commandment to his very core.

 _"What is this magic?! How can be possess this much power?!"_ wondered terrified Silva in his thoughts. _"This is too much, even for me! I must quickly subdue him, otherwise..."_

All of a sudden, Natsu stopped his cry and bent his knees, before dashing at Silva, the floor beneath him breaking. He closed the distance at speed great enough to render the Commandment speechless and pulled his arm back, both of his elements covering it tightly.

**_BARRIER!_ **

Silva couldn't help but cry out in fear, as he watched Natsu's fist land a mere inch away from his face. Two elements splashed themselves all over the invisible wall, sucessfully blocking the strike. Silva then tried to counterattack with his explosions by throwing his arm in Natsu's direction. Growling in fury, Natsu retracted his fist and quickly ran around Silva, taking him from behind, and dodging his attack.

Terror grasping his heart, Silva used his Body Enhancement Magic to jump out of the way, his speed cracked up to its very limits. Just when he thought he was safe, he felt an iron grip on his left ankle, with Natsu grabbing him before he could escape. In one, swift motion of his arm, he smashed the man into the floor, knocking wind out of his lungs. Not giving him enough time to rest, Natsu followed through with a right stomp, only to be interrupted by Silva, who quickly formed a pillar, which raised Natsu high in the air, away from The God.

Natsu growled and grabbed the pillar with both arms, before shattering it into pieces. He then used one of them as a foothold and launched himself at Silva, who was forced to desperately roll out of the way of his flight. Natsu crashed into the ground, breaking it even further, the wind created with his landing pushing Silva back even further.

Silva quickly stood up and raised his arms, ready to strike the rampaging Dragon Slayer before he could reach him. Just like he expected, Natsu charged straight at him.

_**AIR-** _

Suddenly, Natsu greatly increased his speed and caught the Commandment midway through his attack. He planted his fist, coated in fire and lightning deep into the man's stomach, making him cough up alot of blood, the stinging, itching pain spreading over his stomach. Silva was blown away, his stomach burned and numb, as he rolled on the ground, unable to stop himself. His back planted itself on one of his earlier creations, as he slid down it, his hands aimlessly hovering over his injured area, unable to comprehend this turn of events. He then raised his head, only to feel genuine fear get a hold of his chest, with Natsu slowly pacing towards him, his face twisted in animal-like fury.

"M-monster..." mumbled Silva, before being forced to jump out of the way, with Natsu charging at him once again. While in the air, he couldn't help but helplessly watch the Dragon Slayer bend his knees and jump as well, following him in suit. Silva couldn't shake off the feeling of being a prey, bound to be captured by its predator, no matter how long he tried to run for. This feeling filled the Commandment with anger, greatly injuring his pride. He was the man destined to change the world, how could he fall victim to the very person he was supposed to use to achieve this dream with?

Fear slowly started to give in to anger, as Silva decided to fight back, and show this rampaging ape its place. He put up his hands and aimed them at Natsu, at the same time readying himself up for the upcoming pain.

"Using two magics at the same time is a major violation of my magic's rules, but if it's you we're talking about, I am willing to do whatever it takes."

 _ **REPEL + MAXIMUM AIR CUTTER**_!

A combined shockwave of wind and absorbed force hit Natsu in its entirety, which sent him flying towards the floor. His figure broke through it and started to make its way down the tower, passing through each and every floor beneath. Silva yelled out, his arms pulsing and burning from pain, as he limply fell onto the ground. He grunted through his clenched teeth, his arms tense and flexed, however, despite all this pain, he still considered it a right choice. With this combination, his victory was secured.

Natsu fell down all the way to the fourth floor, where his momentum was finally lowered enough to allow him to stay on it, as he smashed into the floor. Pieces of ceiling and floor fell on top of him, burying him in a small mountain of rubble, his right hand being the only thing visible from beneath the pile.

Rocked, he dumbly stared into the darkness, his mind trying to figure out what just happened. He didn't have to wait too long, as all the pieces started to quickly form into a whole mass.

"Natsu!"

With the familiar voice calling out to him being the final push, Natsu was completely awakened. He clenched his right fist and blew up the pile of rubble on top of him, sending its pieces fly in all directions.

Erza was forced to shield her face from the stones, as she watched Natsu stand up from the ground, his cloak of fire and lightning tightly surrounding his entire figure. He slowly raised his head towards the ceiling, his face expressing pure fury. His eyes were almost completely rid of pupils, his teeth tightly clenched, but kept behind his lips. He was covered in injured from head to toe, his recent trip rewarding him with more cuts and bruises. All of this gave him a sinister look, one that filled Fairy Tail mage with pure fear.

"Natsu-" Erza tried to call out to the Dragon Slayer, but before she could do so, she felt a strong hand on her shoulder. She looked around to look at Laxus, whose eyes were glued on Salamander. The blonde was tense and cautious.

"Don't speak to him, not when he's like that. He might not recognize you."

Even if she wanted to, she couldn't argue with this advice. If Laxus of all people gave her this advice, it must have meant he's seen the pinkette in this state before.

"Let's just step away from him and keep our distance."

The women nodded and started to slowly back off, Lucy and Juvia still supporting Laxus, with Natsu not even paying attention to them. Instead, his entire focus was aimed at the ceiling, more specifically his opponent that was still couple floors above. After a short while of thinking, Natsu started to inhale as much air as he could, his magic beginning to raise. He puffed out his chest and cheeks, as he leaned back towards the floor, facing the ceiling.

Before Erza could even shout out to her friends to warn them, it already happened.

_**LIGHTNING FLAME DRAGON'S ROAR!** _

The knight was forced to watch, as Natsu spat out a torrent of flames and lightning, an attack she had a chance to experience with her own skin over a week ago. Except this time, it was at least three times larger, and as it made contact with the ceiling, it sent waves of air that knocked her and her friends back, making them fly across the floor.

Natsu's roar made its way up the tower, until it crashed into its very roof and passed right through it, flying into the night sky, like a beacon of light. Wendy and Hibiki, who watched it happen from on board Christina, could only stare at it in awe, their jaws on the floor.

After what felt like minutes, Natsu's roar finally calmed down, leaving him panting and seemingly drained, his aura much smaller than before. Erza pushed away the piece of debris that found its way on top of her and looked up, before feeling her eyes widen in pure shock.

She was met with the sight of the night sky, all the floors above them gone and erased from existence, with only their falling apart skeleton remaining in their place, about to crumble. Erza slowly shifted her gaze back onto Natsu, who was now staring at something. That something turned out to be Silva, who was currently lying on his stomach, his body twitching and covered in light burns. His terrified eyes were glued to Natsu's figure, who started to slowly walk in his direction. Despite using his Barrier to protect himself, it broke under the pressure, blocking only a part of the attack. The mere thought of his defense being beaten was unimaginable to the Commandment, and with the sight of his now ruined tower, it was a blow he had no hopes of recovering from.

Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, he spotted defeated Luppi, Jellal and Arthur, all of them lying next to each other. Silva couldn't help but feel his world falling apart, as he desperately tried to ensure himself it was all just a bad dream.

"It's over, Silva." said Natsu, which awakened the man from his trance. "It's gone. Everything you've ever stood for is gone. You're finished."

Silva stared into Natsu's onyx eyes. Defeat? Gone? Over? None of these words applied to him, the mere thought was ridiculous. Why was this child staring him down in triumph, why was he on the ground, while the very person that was supposed to be the fuel to his ambitions, a mere sacrificial lamb was standing? Anger started boil inside of him, all of his frustration itching to be aimed at something, at _someone._

With the corner of his eye, Silva spotted something game changing, a light in the dark tunnel, something that could be considered a gift from the gods themselves. Using all his strength to prevent himself from smiling, Silva slowly stood up and faced Natsu.

"You've truly grown powerful, Natsu." he said. "You have surpassed my expectations. To think you hid this kind of power, you've easily surpassed all of the Commandments, including myself."

Silva's magic started to rise, signalising the beginning of his attack. "However, despite all this power, you are still weak. Bound by your own, foolish self."

The man put up his arms in a familiar fashion, aiming them at Natsu. The Dragon Slayer frowned at the sight. "Do you really think you will hit me with this?"

Silva smirked. "I am most certain of it."

His hands started to glow, as he charged up his attack. Natsu bent his knees, ready to counter it. However, before he could do it, Silva quickly turned around and aimed it somewhere else. Confused, Natsu looked over to where Silva was aiming, and felt his blood freeze.

He watched as Juvia desperately called out to Lucy, who was stuck beneath a boulder, unconscious. The bluenette tried to push the stone away with her magic, however she could barely make it budge. Realisation kicking in, Natsu watched in horror as Silva smiled wickedly, before launching his attack.

_**ATOMIC BURST!** _

Erza could only watch in horror, as a giant explosion made its way towards her friends, swallowing and destroying everything on its path, before making contact with its target and blowing up.

"Lucy! Juvia!" called out the knight in despair, her heart sinking in. She threw herself in a mad dash across the floor, heading directly towards the dust cloud, expecting the worst. Praying to gods, she ran as fast as she could, her breath stuck in her throat. When she finally made it, she stopped in her tracks and stared in shock at the sight in front of her.

"Y...you..." stuttered out shocked Juvia, Lucy still by her side, stuck underneath rubble.

In front of Juvia stood Natsu, his arms spread out to the sides in order to block as much of the explosion as possible. He was struggling to breathe, his body completely burned and smoking, his magic almost burned out. His clothes were almost completely gone, his white scarf slowly sliding off his neck onto the ground, the remains of his pants still somewhat hanging on his waist. The ground in front and behind of him was scorched and burned out, with Juvia and Lucy residing on a small island created by Natsu's figure after blocking the attack. He wheezed out one last time, before falling onto his knees and sitting down on his legs, his hands limply falling onto his lap.

Silva's breath was heavy, his face twisted in pain. Using an explosion of such rate in his current state was idiotic, his arms throbbing and hurting from its impact, but it was a bet that paid off greatly. He couldn't help but smirk at the state the very person who put him in this situation was in, sense of triumph once again filling his mind.

"Fate has already been decided, Natsu." he breathed out in-between his pants. "Struggle all you want, but you can not change it. You will die here, just how it's always been meant to be."

Silva started to walk towards the fallen Dragon Slayer, who desperately tried to stand up. Sensing that it was futile, he dropped back onto his knees, his body too heavy to move a single muscle. The God smirked at the sight, as he continued on his way towards the pinkette. Suddenly, he was forced to dodge an incoming sword, followed by a a lightning falling onto him from the sky, shocking him. The Commandment gasped from pain and fell onto his knee, before lifting his head up, sending a hateful look to people responsible for it.

Erza and Laxus were currently standing before Natsu, both of them ready to fight Silva in his stead. Although they were both injured beyond their limits, they couldn't turn a blind eye on someone, who saved their friends from imminent death.

"You will not lay your hands on him, you fiend." growled intimidatingly Erza. "You will not harm anyone ever again."

A vein popped on Silva's forehead. "Titania, Erza Scarlet. Makarov Dreyar's grandson, Laxus. You are both no match against my power. Step aside, or suffer the same fate as Salamander. Do not anger The God."

Laxus tightly clenched his fist and brought it down, causing a lightning to hit Silva once again. The man cried out in pain and fell to his knees yet again, his patience reaching its absolute limits.

"Last time I checked, gods did not bow to humans." said Laxus. "But I think I'm okay with this turn of events."

Silva cried out in fury and threw himself at the pair. The final battle has begun.

**End of Chapter 13. To be continued in Chapter 14: Start Anew.**


	15. Start Anew

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like me and my writing, please consider supporting me on ko-fi. More information can be found in this link: https://ko-fi.com/B0B6ETPJ
> 
> Thanks and enjoy the finale of Seven Commandments Arc! I will be uploading Tenrou Arc very soon!(you can find it on fanfiction.net)

Erza and Laxus braced themselves for Silva's charge, with the blonde trying to stay on his feet, which came with great difficulty.

"How do you stand with magic power?" asked him Erza.

"I'm running on fumes, I probably have just enough for one big hit." he replied

Erza clicked her tongue. "I'm not doing better myself. We have to get this over with quickly."

Behind the pair, Natsu desperately tried to get up, however his lack of any magic power in his body prevented him from doing so. Erza slightly turned her head in his direction.

"Don't force yourself, you can barely move. Try to rest."

Natsu panted quietly and lifted his head to look at the redhead. "Don't let him touch you." he wheezed out.

Erza nodded and turned back around to her opponent. She had absolutely no desire to have her magic stolen, but she had no other choice but to engage the man. Right now, she and Laxus were the only wall between life and death of everyone in the Tower.

Silva was now mere few meters away from them. His wounds and the aftershock of being hit by Laxus' lightning greatly slowed him down. Erza summoned a giant spear and threw it in Silva's direction, forcing the man to dodge it. Not even a second later, Laxus dropped to his knees and placed his hands on the floor, before electrocuting it and sending the sparks in the Commandment's direction. Forced to stop his charge, Silva jumped back and evaded the attack. While in the air, he noticed that Erza was no longer by the Dragon Slayer's side, and instead was in the air, directly above him. She clenched her sword as hard as she could and swinged it downwards, forcing Silva to put up his right arm to defend himself. Erza's blade made contact with his forearm, sinking into it, however nowhere near as deep as she anticipated. Suprised with his toughness, she tried to pull it out, only to feel that it was stuck. Before she could escape, she was struck in her right cheek by a powerful left hook from Silva, which rocked the knight and sent her flying towards the floor. Just before she could hit the ground, she flipped in the air and gracefully landed on her feet, sliding on the ground to kill the momentum, with Silva landing several feet away from her as well.

Erza spat out some blood to the side and wiped her mouth. "Is that enough, Laxus?"

Silva's eyes widened in suprise, as he heard weird crackling above him. When he looked up, he was met with the figure of a blonde-haired Dragon Slayer, his arms raised above his head, with an enormous ball of lightning held above his head.

"Yeah." he smirked, before bringing both his arms and the giant ball downwards, aiming it at Silva.

_**SECRET DRAGON SLAYER'S ART: SUN EMPEROR!** _

Silva was swallowed by a giant explosion of lightning, yellow light blinding everyone present on the floor. The floor beneath the man cracked into dozens of giant pieces, some of them standing up. Erza had no choice but cover her face to protect herself from the debris. Behind her, ignoring the ongoing battle, Juvia continued to work her magic in order to free Lucy from beneath a boulder that was on top of her. Carefully and slowly, she tried to lift the rock and prevent any additional damage to the blonde, and was now almost done. After couple more seconds, Juvia dropped the piece of debris aside, finally freeing the Celestial Mage. She then quickly got closer to the blonde and started to assess her damage, searching for anything serious.

"How is she?!" asked Erza, trying to be louder than the lightning.

After a short moment, Juvia replied. "I don't see anything serious, but she's unconscious!"

Erza took the news with a slight relief. She then shifted her attention back to the men, as Laxus' attack was finally over. He stood there, panting heavily, his eyes closing themselves out of exhaustion. He really gave it everything he had.

"Serves you right..." he wheezed out.

Not even a second later, Erza witnessed his body bending like a pocket knife and lifting off the ground, a large amount of blood escaping out of his mouth, as a fist planted itself deep into his stomach from inside the dust cloud. A moment later, the cloud dispelled, revealing an unscathed Silva, his face twisted in a quiet fury.

Unconscious, Laxus slid off Silva's fist and dropped onto his face before the Commandment, who condescendingly put his foot on the blonde's head, grinding it into the ground.

"Looks like you've finally learned your place." he said quietly, before putting his left hand up and catching Erza's strike from her Heaven's Wheel Armor with his bare hand, which shocked the woman. He then raised his hand and put it on her chest, before saying one word.

**_REPEL_ **

Erza cried out in pain, as she flew backwards, her armor breaking into pieces. An excruciating pain took over her entire torso, leaving her unable to breathe. She landed on the ground and bounced off of it like a ball, before finally hitting a piece of debris with her back. She laid there, Silva's attack turning her into a gasping mess.

"How lucky you are, Erza Scarlet." she heard his voice and raised her head, sending him a hateful look. "Your **The Knight** would make a great addition to my collection. Fortunately for you, I'm out of space. If only I had met you two weeks earlier..."

The knight struggled to get up, but succeeded after a short moment. She could barely stand, but she couldn't give up. She was the only person left standing, and Juvia was too busy guarding the injured.

"Ahh!"

A cry of pain shook Erza right to the core, as she quickly snapped her head to the side. She felt her eyes widen in shock at the sight of Juvia slowly falling onto her face with blood gashing out of her now split back. Behind her stood a young woman with short brown hair, a sword in her right hand and a shield in her left, which she used to support her injured self.

Silva looked at the woman, his eyes narrowed. "Where have you been, Jolene?"

Jolene looked at her Master and gently bowed. "I had to give myself treatment after my battle, but I have now returned to your side,. to aid you in this battle."

Her entire body was covered in bandages, some of them bloodied. The cuts on her face were poorly stitched up, some of them still bleeding. She had a limp, which she supported with a giant shield in her left arm, as she stood above unconscious Juvia and Lucy, the rainwoman's blood still on her blade.

Erza growled in fury and threw herself at the woman, only to feel herself being struck in her left side, which sent her flying.

Natsu, who was also angry beyond his limit, tried to stand up to face The Arsenal. He managed to get on his feet, but that was the limit of his capabilities. Jolene smiled wickedly and kicked him in the stomach with her healthy leg, which sent him back onto the ground. She then licked her lips and walked up to the Dragon Slayer.

"Oh, how long have I waited for this moment." she whispered, before lifting her blade.

"Jolene."

Silva's voice sent shivers down her spine, as she quickly turned to her Master. "Keep your hands to yourself. He's mine."

Jolene bit her lip, clearly not fond of the idea, but complied nonetheless and gently bowed. "As you wish, Master."

She limped away from the pinkette and instead headed towards Juvia and Lucy. Seeing this, Erza quickly stood up and charged at the woman once again, picking up her sword on the way. Jolene merely smirked and grabbed Lucy by the hair. She then pulled the girl up and grabbed her neck with her arm, forcefully keeping the blonde on her feet, before putting up a blade to Lucy's neck.

"Not a step closer, Titania." chuckled Jolene.

Erza quickly stopped in her tracks and glared daggers at the woman, her teeth bared. "Let her go." she growled, her voice sounding much different than usual.

"Do you really think you're in any position to make demands?" mocked Jolene and pushed her sword up against Lucy's neck, a drop of blood flowing down her neck. "Drop your blade. Far."

Erza grit her teeth, but complied and threw her sword aside. In the meantime, Silva walked up to downed Natsu and stared him down.

"As I have told you many times, fate cannot be changed." he said to the pinkette, before stepping on his injured left arm. Natsu yelled out in pain and grabbed Silva's leg with his right hand, trying to get it off to no avail.

Erza was forced to listen to his cries, as despair started to take over her heart. She instinctively made a step in his direction, willing to help him, but Jolene had none of that, as she quickly pulled Lucy up in her arms and yelled out.

"One step closer and I'll open her up from ear to ear!" screeched Jolene, greatly enjoying the scene. Natsu's screams filled her with joy, joy she hasn't felt in years.

Natsu continued to yell, with Silva putting more and more pressure on his arm. Feeling tired of this form of torture, he took his foot off and gently kneeled down, before punching Natsu in the face. He then slowly struck him with his second hand, then back with his right, then again with left. He paused for a short moment, before repeatedly striking the downed Dragon Slayer, not using any sort of magic on purpose, in order to prolong his suffering.

"You brought this on yourself." he said, as he continued to pound Natsu's body. "If only you obeyed me and gave yourself up willingly, you wouldn't have to go through all this. Now, you'll suffer for destroying my dreams. I will make sure to keep it as creative and long as humanly possible."

With one final punch, Silva frowned with dissatisfaction. Despite landing multiple blows on the Dragon Slayer, he dealt little to no fresh damage to him. Not coating his fists with magic was foolish - the durability of Dragon Slayers was starting to annoy him.

All this time, Jolene continued to watch the spectacle in delight, with Erza struggling to stay in her spot. She couldn't stop tears flowing down her face from her left eye, as she cursed herself to her powerlessness. She watched Silva, who stood up from his spot and searched around the area. He then spotted the right tool to continue his torture and picked up Erza's sword, much to her horror.

"Stop it!" she cried out, her feet once again moving against her will. Just like before, Jolene was right there to stop her, only this time with much more joy.

"That's a great scream, Titania! I didn't know you had it in you!" she laughed maniacally, enjoying Erza's pain. She then calmed down a little and curiously looked at Lucy, before shifting her eyes back at Erza, her face twisting in a sinister smile. "I do wonder, how will you cry out when I kill this doll? I can't help myself but get curious."

"Don't!" yelled out the knight, much to the Commandment's enjoyment.

"C'mon, you can do better than that! Don't make me force it out of you!" screeched Jolene.

"You filth." growled furious Erza, but did not dare to move from her spot. She desperately tried to find a way out of this situation, as she also continued to observe Silva, who was now closing in on Natsu with her blade in his grip.

Jolene's face dropped. "I guess I really have to force it out of you. Try not to disappoint me."

Time froze. She dropped to her knees. Erza couldn't help but simply watch as Jolene pushed the blade up against Lucy's neck, ready and eager to slice it. In the meantime, Silva was now raising the blade in his hands and aimed its tip towards Natsu's left knee.

It was over. No matter how hard she tried, there was no way out of this situation. There was no one to inspire them, no one to save them. This was not a situation, where they were protected by any sort of moral code, or simple laws of mages. This was a life or death situation, and they had lost. When faced with these beasts without any sort of compassion or mercy, the only availble option was death.

Tears streamed down her face, and fell on top of her breasts. She let it happen again. People she considered family were about to die before her eyes, again. She was not strong enough to save them, again. To hell with overcoming her past, she couldn't even overcome the present. How can she trust herself, when she keeps failing those close to her?

"Sing for me, Titania." smiled Jolene for the last time before slicing Lucy's neck.

Like in slow motion, Erza felt her eyes widen in shock, her voice stuck in her throat, unable to make a sound. She quietly watched, as an ice spear made its way through Jolene's neck, drops of blood falling on the redhead's face.

"Huh?"

Jolene slowly lowered her eyes, only to witness something sticking out of her throat. Before she could react, she felt a sea of blood escaping out of her mouth, breath stopping in her lungs. She felt someone lean towards her ear, his raven hair tickling her face.

"Get your disgusting, filthy hands off my friends, you witch." growled livid Gray.

In one swift motion, he pulled his ice spear out of the woman's neck. Her blade and shield fell out of her hands along with Lucy, who was caught by the ice mage. The Arsenal brought her hands up to her neck and grabbed it, before slowly falling onto her knees, gargling with her blood. She desperately fought for breath, bubbles of blood forming in her mouth, as she sent her shocked Master one final look. She reached out to him in her last moments, and as her eyes grew misty and rid of light, she fell onto her face, dead.

Erza stared at the corpse in shock, before slowly shifting her gaze onto Gray. As her eyes made their way up to his face, her face changed into a concerned frown. As if expecting what he'll hear from her, Gray looked away and gently put Lucy down, before turning his attention to Juvia.

"It's not over yet." he reminded Erza, as he ripped the bluenette's jacked and applied pressure onto her wound.

Silva continued to stare at the scene in shock, before succumbing to rage.

"Every single one of you was a complete waste of my time." he growled. "I was a fool to believe any of you was worthy of my kindness. I should strip you all off your magic and leave you in the gutter, from where I picked you up and where you belong."

He then shifted his attention back to Natsu and raised the blade once again. "You're lucky, Salamander. You get to die early after all."

Before he could deliver the final blow, he spotted something with the corner of the eye. His body was consumed by a ball of flames, as it splattered all over the area, before revealing his uninjured, irritated figure. He looked in the direction the strike came from, his eyes landing on Erza, clad in her Flame Empress Armor, the remains of flames still decorating her sword.

"It seems like you wish to die first, Titania." he said. "It is a wish I will be more than glad to fulfill."

As she panted from exhaustion, Erza managed to crack a grin. "Who said I was aiming at you?"

This smirk played on the man's nerves far too heavily. However, just when he was about to strike back, Silva felt an iron grip on his throat, with his feet leaving the ground a second later. He instinctively put his hands on his oppressor's hand, which belonged to Natsu, who stared deep into Silva's eyes, his onyx irises filled with rage.

"How many people do you have to hurt before you're satisfied?" he growled, his grip increasing. Silva wiggled his feet in the air, air stuck in his sore throat. "Enough is enough, you scum!"

Natsu planted his fire coated fist deep into Silva's stomach, making the man cough up blood. He released his neck and allowed the man to fly backwards. Silva landed on his back few meters away and immediately stood up. He stared dumbfounded as Natsu straightened his back and sucked in all of the nearby flames, refilling his magic in the process. Once done, he sighed with relief and wiped his mouth, before staring at Silva with freshly found strength. The God couldn't help the shivers of fear run all over his body, which still remembered Natsu's overwhelming power from few minutes ago.

This was bad. His magic was starting to run out, and he was all out of pawns. Using five magics in such rapid fashion was bound to drain him, even with his inhuman resources. He carefully watched Natsu, who slowly made his way towards him. Even if a little bit of his magic returned, he was barely standing on his legs. One good strike was all he needed.

Silva exhaled and raised his hands in familiar fashion. Seeing this, Natsu bent his knees and quickly dashed at the man in order to deliver the first strike.

MAXIMUM...

Throbbing pain took over Silva's arms, preventing him from unleashing his attack. The drawbacks of earlier were still present, and he had no means of stopping them. Except one.

Swallowing his pride in order to ensure his survival, Silva decided to reach out to his final card, the one he never anticipated he'd be forced to use on himself. He loudly clapped his hands in front of his chest and kept them joined, his eyes closed. Natsu, unfamiliar with this move stopped in his tracks and carefully watched his opponent.

_**THE SNATCHER'S SIXTH MAGIC: REVERSE!** _

Green light covered Silva's entire body and after a short while disappeared. The man sighed in relief and opened his eyes, a small smirk forming on his face.

"I never thought I'd be using this magic on myself, Salamander. You really have pushed me to my absolute limits." he said. "But this farce is about to end. In a while, I will crush you into dust and pick up the remains of my ambitions. If I cannot do it with Zeref, I'll do it myself."

Natsu carefully watched the man, his eyes glued to the green aura surrounding his body. He didn't feel any difference in Silva, and yet his instincts screamed to him to be cautious. Just when he was about to ask the man out loud about his move, he felt his eyes widen in suprise, realisation kicking in.

Silva's injuries were slowly but surely regressing, his burns becoming paler and smaller. Noticing the pinkette's shock, Silva grinned.

"Reverse. The ability to rewind everything that happened to a single object, be it organic or solid. During the upcoming 180 seconds, I can rewind back 20 minutes of something's time, reverting it to its past state. The process is slow, but certain. In less than 3 minutes, my body will revert back to what it was like 20 minutes ago, filled with magic and completely rid of injuries."

Natsu bent his knees and lit up his hands. "In other words, I have 3 minutes to kill you."

Silva smirked. "You will not reach me ever again." he said, as he slowly lifted his right feet, ready to reconstruct the ground to his needs.

Just when he was about to charge at Silva, Natsu lifted his own right leg and stomped the ground, breaking it into hundreds of small pieces. Small pieces of debris flew all around the area, leaving Silva suprised. _He broke the ground to prevent me from using the ground to my advantage. Did he...?_

The Dragon Slayer charged at Silva, his fists lit aflame. The man calmed down and did not even bother guarding himself, ready to use his barrier at any time.

**_FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!_ **

**_BARRIER!_ **

Much to his shock, Silva felt his face being nailed by a powerful right straight, which blew his head back. Unable to comprehend what happened, he noticed Natsu readying up another attack and once again put up his barrier, only to be hit in the stomach. He slid on the ground and grit his teeth in pain, with Natsu standing in front of him, panting.

"What have you done?!" growled The God, before being consumed by flames once. This time, however, he didn't have enough time to guard himself and took the full extent of the blow.

"Titania!~" he roared and turned in Erza's direction, who fell onto her knees and dropped out of her armor. He put up his hand and aimed it at the redhead, Repel already forming in his palm.

He was interrupted by a kick to the face, which sent him flying backwards. He quickly stood up, his eyes landing on Natsu, who was now consuming the fresh flames. He sucked them all in and straightened himself up, even more magic returning to his body. Not a second later, he threw himself at Silva, who patiently awaited the strike.

_Calm down, anger does not suit a God. There has to be some sort of a trick he's using in order to bypass my Barrier._

Silva put up his Barrier and watched as Natsu retracted his right arm and struck the magic. Realisation finally hitting him, Silva released the magic just when Natsu was about to bypass it again and caught the blow with his left hand, his body now clad in Body Enhancement Magic.

"So that's how it is." muttered Silva to himself. _His reason has returned to him. He has come up with countermeasures against my magics. This will be harder than I thought._

"You're keeping your flames sealed inside your body, keeping the strength of your blows but not letting magic leak out." analysed Silva, squeezing Natsu's hand. "It appears watching my battle with Dreyar and Scarlet has given you a hint."

Natsu's eyes narrowed. He knew what Silva's squeeze meant, his left arm still remembered it very well. Certain that the man had no means of blocking his magic anymore, Natsu let out his flames and struck Silva in the face, blowing him back. The man roared in agony and slid back on his feet, his hands immediately reaching out to his face. He glared at Natsu through his fingers and watched the pinkette follow him. Feeling that enough time has passed, Silva extended his arms before him and switched magics.

**_ATOMIC-_ **

Throbbing pain took over his arms once again, reminding him that it was not the time yet. He was starting to panic. With **Reverse** still in effect, his healing was certain, but the more damage he took, the more he had to rewind. His **Air** and **Explosion Magics** were sealed, his **Barrier** was figured out and he could no longer manipulate the ground, due to having not enough space to work it. With his back against the wall, Silva realised the only way he could get through this situation right now was to play his opponent's game.

Maximizing the effect of his **Body Enhancement Magic** , Silva charged at Natsu as well. Both men retracted their fists and struck at the same time, their right hands making contact. A powerful shockwave of wind and flames spread all over the floor, pushing Erza and the rest back.

Silva was the first to break contact and threw a left hook at the pinkette, who ducked right under it, the strike sending air currents due to its strength. He responded with a right body blow, which was blocked by Silva's right hand. The man then tried to strike the Dragon Slayer with hi left once again, only to feel a foot on his chin, which pushed his head back. Natsu used this opportunity to strike Silva's exposed torso.

_**FIRE DRAGON'S TWIN IRON FIST!** _

With both of his hands, Natsu punched Silva's stomach and sent him back, a grimace of pain forming on the man's face. The pinkette quickly followed through and jumped in the air, before dropping his right leg on Silva's head. The God put up his arms just in time and guarded the strike, but Natsu pushed him with his legand send him sliding on the floor. Happy with his momentum. Natsu immediately ran after Silva and punched his exposed stomach, but this time, he didn't manage to push the man back. He then struck him with a left hook to the chin, but that didn't do anything either. Confused, Natsu stopped his barrage and took a careful look at Silva.

The man's face was slowly becoming rid of any damage, which reminded Natsu of his time limit. Silva smirked and struck Natsu in the face with a right hook, which blew the Slayer to the side. He then looked at his fist and clenched it a couple times, a smirk forming on his face.

"It appears it's starting to work." he said, before shifting his gaze back onto his opponent.

Salamander growled and strained his body to its limits, lightning and fire covering his body once again. Panic started to creep onto his neck as he threw himself at Silva, the man's recovery reminding him of how little time he has.

Seeing the yellow lightning surrounding the pinkette's body made Silva tense up. He put up his guard and waited for his chance to counter the overwhelming magic. He knew that Natsu was running on fumes and pure adrenaline, he could drop at any moment. Still, he was a dangerous threat and underestimating him would be a grievous mistake.

Silva blocked Natsu's fist with his Barrier, and then immediately followed through with a right straight, which was dodged. Natsu jumped behind Silva with suprising speed and tried to attack his lower back, only to feel his feet stop on an invisible wall. Silva twisted his palms backwards and aimed them at his opponent, before launching two big explosions in his direction. Natsu jumped out of the way just in time and kicked at Silva from above, catching him just before he could protect himself. The man jumped out of the way at the last second, but was too slow to completely dodge the Dragon Slayer. With his body still in the air, he helplessly watched Natsu charge at him, his right fist coated in fire and lightning. He clenched his teeth and awaited the strike.

Natsu's fist made contact with Silva's stomach, making him cough up blood and burning him. Natsu flexed his shoulder and pushed, sending Silva flying towards the ground. As his back planted itself into the surface, Natsu followed through by joining his hands above his head and bringing them down at the Commandment.

_**LIGHTNING FLAME DRAGON'S JAW!** _

_**BARRIER!** _

At the last second, Silva blocked the attack, both elements leaking to the sides across the invisible wall. While watching the clash, Erza couldn't help but frown in confusion. Silva had more than enough time to block Natsu's previous strike, but instead took it. Was there a time interval between each use of his barrier?

Silva rolled out of the way and allowed Natsu to crash into the ground. As he slid on the broken surface, he kept his right hand in it and focused on the spot the pinkette was in. Just as dust cleared, Silva used his magic on the bigger pieces of debris and turned them into spikes, all of them aimed at Natsu. Salamander covered himself in his aura and effortlessly broke the spikes, charging at Silva a second later. With his arms now healed, the man put them in front of him and focused his magic in his palms.

_**MAXIMUM AIR CUTTER!** _

An enormous wave of wind flew in Natsu's direction, forcing him to jump upwards. Expecting this to happen, Silva positioned so that he was directly below Natsu and placed his hands on the ground.

**_AIR TOWER!_ **

In front of Silva formed a tower of air slicers, all of them flying upwards towards their target. Gritting his teeth in annoyance, Natsu lit his feet aflame and positioned himself out of the way of the attack. He then put his hands up above his head and formed a ball of lightning and flames, before throwing it at Silva. The Commandment jumped out of the way, with Natsu following after him. The God threw another big explosion at the pinkette, who ducked beneath it and caught up to the silverhead.

Both men engaged each other in a wild exchange of blows, with Silva using his **Body Enhancement Magic** and Natsu using both of his elements. Silva blocked Natsu's right hook and countered with a right straight, which the Slayer ducked under. He struck Silva's exposed liver and followed with a right uppercut, blowing the man's head back. Furious, Silva opened his palm and used an **Air Wave** from point blank range, only to miss completely. Natsu used this chance to strike his liver once again, this time twice in a row. His body buckling over, Silva managed to block Natsu's knee aimed at his chin at the last moment with his **Barrier**. The fire mage quickly put his leg back on the ground and threw a right hook, which was once again blocked. Silva put his hand in front of Natsu's face and landed a point blank explosion, effectively pushing him backwards. Fresh burns appeared on Natsu's face, but were far from enough to bring him down. Silva used this freshly acquired space to use another, bigger **Air Wave** , but his plans were spoiled with Natsu kicking him in the gut. Gritting his teeth in pain, Silva blocked Natsu's follow-up with his **Barrier** and jumped back. Seeing that Silva's feet left the ground, he powered up an charged after the man, successfully catching his torso with his head. Silva spat out blood and cried out in agony, before being blown away.

 _This bastard...he's noticed!_ panicked Silva in his mind and quickly stood up from the ground.

Seeing that Natsu would not stop chasing him no matter what, Silva decided to sacrifice his defense in exchange of raw power and speed. Maximizing the speed of his Body Enhancement Magic, Silva charged back, meeting Natsu in his own game. Both men engaged in another exchange of blows, but this time, Silva was much harder to hit, and landed more strikes than Natsu. With his magic and health slowly returning to him, Silva was becoming faster and stronger with each second, which started to show itself. Despite his both elements blasting at full throttle, his injuries and dropping magic power greatly crippled him.

Natsu spat out some blood after eating a nasty hook to his jaw and answered with one of his own, only to be dodged. Silva used this opportunity to kicked him in the stomach and push him away with a ball of air. He was then bombarded with a barrage of small, but slowing down explosions. Gritting his teeth, Natsu slowly started to walk towards Silva, guarding himself from the blasts with his arms. Seeing that his feet were not too far away from Silva's, he dropped his guard and struck at the man, only to hit nothing but air.

Silva put his hand on Natsu's back and marked it, before snapping his fingers and blowing his back. A brand new scorch formed itself on Natsu's back, but he simply sucked his teeth in pain and tried to ignore it. He turned around and stared at the man with animal fury, before charging at him in straight line, once again repeating the mistake that cost him his health on the top floor.

Silva calmly raised his right hand and smirked, certain of his victory. He released his combat magics and focused his magic in his palm, reaching out to all the absorbed power.

"It's over." he whispered.

**_REPEL!_ **

Giant shockwave of all the absorbed strikes launched itself at Natsu, breaking and reducing everything on its path into dust. Silva watched in triumph, with Natsu still blindly charging into the attack, which was now mere few feet away. However, much to his shock, he noticed Natsu's knees slowly bending themselves, his figure leaning more and more towards the ground. Just before he could eat the shockwave, Natsu dropped to the floor on all fours so low he was just one centimeter away from laying down. He lowered his head and allowed the attack to go right above him, at it made its way across the floor and continued its destruction.

With Silva too shocked to muster any sort of a reaction, Natsu raised his head back up and launched himself at the man, his fist pulled back.

**_LIGHTNING FLAME DRAGON'S FIRING HAMMER!_ **

The Commandment took the full extent of the blow, a weird sound escaping his mouth along with blood, his ribs breaking like twigs. With one final grunt, Natsu pushed forward trying to send the man fly, but Silva had none of that. Reaching his absolute limits, he forced himself to stay in his spot, raspy, furious breaths escaping his mouth.

"ENOUGH!~" he roared and blasted Natsu away with his explosions. He then clasped his hands and put them on the ground, causing it to shake. "I will not tolerate this insolence any further!"

From beneath his crouching figure rose up a giant pillar, which raised him high in the air, his figure now covering the moon.

"I am a God! I will not be beaten by an extinct magic, held by someone whose life I own!"

Silva raised both of his hands above his head, his magic power raising in the process. "I will blast you all into oblivion! And after I'm done, I will take my time killing every single mage in this world, starting with your precious guild, Titania!"

Natsu growled in disgust, anger and exhaustion, but did not back down. He started to build up his remaining magic power, his aura slowly but surely growing. His entire body cried out in pain, but he had no time for that. If he failed, everyone here would die.

"What the hell is he doing?!" wondered Gray out loud. "Does he really think he will survive this?! And what's up with that pillar?!"

Erza slowly stood up. She knew exactly what was the purpose behind this ridiculous structure. Not only was it to distance himself from the blast and his enemies, but it was also his survival policy. Having watched his battle with Natsu, she came up to a major conclusion - that in order to activate his **Barrier** , he has to be immobile. In other words, his body has to remain on a solid surface. This foothold was his trump card in case anyone tried to prevent him from destroying the tower. And there were multiple someones who were more than willing to try.

"Gray!" she called out, trying to be louder than the wind, which was now starting to be unbearable. "Can you freeze this pillar?!"

The Maker looked at her in confusion but nodded. "Yeah, no problem. What are you planning to do?"

Erza grinned. "Take him down."

Not really getting her, Gray simply shook his head and punched his hand, before freezing the base of the pillar. In the meantime, Natsu bent his knees as low as he could and pushed upwards, launching himself towards Silva, the ground beneath his feet breaking like a thin layer of ice. He pulled his right hand behind and focused his entire magic in his fist, his fire almost white in color and his lightning crackling dangerously.

Noticing the man, Silva merely smirked. "You have already lost, Salamander! I told you, fate cannot be changed!"

At this moment in time, Silva was more than certain of his victory. Even if Natsu caught up to him before he completed his attack, he could always dispell it and protect himself from harm with his **Barrier**. After that, Salamander would fall to the ground, completely drained and at his mercy. With everyone else out of commission, this desperate fool was the only thing standing in his way, and with his demise, his victory was assured.

Erza roared from exhaustion, but managed to Requip back into her red pants. Holding Benizakura tightly, she focused every single remaining bit of magic power she had and launched herself at the frozen pillar.

Above her, Natsu was now mere few meters away from Silva. The man was already dispelling his attack, a condescending, wicked grin glued to his face.

With everything she had, Erza struck the structure, successfully cutting right through it. The pillar started to tilt itself to the right, no longer able to support itself, as it started to break under its weight.

With his hand extended in front of him, Silva couldn't contain his feelings. "Turn into dust, Salamander!" he screeched in triumph. However, just mere milliseconds away from activating his **Barrier** , he felt his feet losing contact with their foothold. His eyes widening in shock and terror, he noticed his creation crumbling beneath his feet, as it started to fall to the ground. With his body now completely suspended in air, he couldn't help but simply watch the enraged Dragon Slayer close up on him, his retracted fist slowly starting to travel in his direction.

With his onyx eyes filled with hate, fury, determination, duty and will to protect those who supported him during this tough journey, Natsu stared down Silva's very soul, filling him with fear he'd never felt in his entire life. Painful memories from 7 years back flooding into his mind, Natsu couldn't help the tear that found its way out of his right eye. He clenched his teeth and fist as hard as he could, before throwing it at Silva.

**_LIGHTNING FLAME DRAGON'S JUDGEMENT HAMMER!_ **

His cry was loud, his voice broken and hoarse. His fist made contact with Silva's left side of his head, almost immediately knocking him out. Fire and lightning blew up around both men, surrounding them in the colorful aura. Driving his fist downwards, Natsu let out a deafening roar and pushed with all his might, sending Silva flying towards the ground. The man crashed into the floor and broke right through it, falling onto Third Floor. His body broke the ground, splitting it in two giant pieces that raised themselves up, with Silva's defeated figure lying in the very center, his arms and legs sprawled to the side like a ragdoll, his eyes completely rid of pupils and his face twisted in agony.

Completely drained, Natsu allowed himself to fall, crashing into the floor right next to Erza. The redhead quickly walked up to him, worried about his state. Feeling weight get off her chest, he saw his exhausted figure panting heavily in its spot. She couldn't help but smile at him, not sure why herself.

"It's finally over." she told him.

Natsu looked at her through his half opened eyes and sucked his breath in. He slowly stood up to his feet and started to walk towards the fresh hole, passing Erza by.

"No, it's not. He's not dead yet."

The knight quickly frowned in worry. She watched him walk away from her, before throwing herself after him and firmly grabbing his right arm.

"Stop it, Natsu. It's over. He's been bested, there is no need for further violence." she tried to reason with him.

He forcefully ripped his arm out of her grip. "As long as he's still breathing, it's not over."

Erza grit her teeth in anger. She wasn't angry at him, but at the situation as a whole.

"Don't you remember what you've told me on our way here? How killing that man yesterday gave you absolutely nothing, but made you hate yourself? Are you willingly trying to lose yourself?"

"It's none of your business." he growled.

Erza snapped. In one move she grabbed his right collarbone and forcefully turned him around, making him look her in the eye.

"It _is_ my business!" she screamed. "I've been where you are right now, I know what it feels like! You don't care about anything, or anyone, as long as you get what you want! What you want is pointless and hurtful! Not only to yourself, but those who care about you!"

"And who would that be?" he asked her rhetorically, not expecting an answer.

"Me!" she roared into his face, hers now mere centimeters away from his.

This one word shook Natsu, leaving him with his mouth slightly agape.

"I finally get it now. We are two sides of the same coin. We both come from the same place, and we both went through the same hardships, but our ways split up after meeting someone willing to give us a chance. I've been saved years ago, but you are still lost. Let me be the person to help you!"

Natsu stared at her, confused. He couldn't muster a single word, so he simply listened to the knight.

"Someone very close to me, someone I own my life to once told me, that we have to be willing to change. I was just like you, ready to throw myself into darkness, and one of my legs was already deep in it. But I was saved! Yours is still there, stuck, sinking deeper and deeper with each second!"

She was now crying. And unlike before, not with just her left eye, but her right one as well.

"If you kill this man, you will go to a place where I won't be able to reach you. Don't let them control you any further! You are free, we both are! Tonight, in this place, our nightmare has ended! So just take my hand, let me help you!"

He gently grit his teeth. "So what do you want me to do? Forgive him, leave him alive after all he's done?!"

Erza shook her head. "No. Forgiveness has its limits, and they have greatly crossed them. But you don't have to stain yourself any longer. They will all face justice for what they've done."

Natsu dropped his head, still not entirely convinced of her idea. Seeing this, Erza took a deep breath to calm herself down and let him go.

"Do what you feel is right. If you decide to take my hand, I will give it with gladness. If you feel that ending his life is the only answer, do it. I will not intervene any longer."

He clenched his fist and stared at it. Conflicted was not a suitable enough word to describe how he felt right now. He still remembered the burning pain he's been put through all these years ago, images of the terrible things he witnessed during last seven years started to roll before his eyes like a movie. His friends being blown up just few hours ago right before his eyes, all the people that were now injured because of him.

He started to shake. Killing him was the only way to pay all those atrocities back, the only way to make it right to all of them. Yes, killing Silva was the only answer, and yet, just when he was about to make a step towards the man, he stopped. A quiet voice in the back of his head started to make him doubt his way. Was it really right? Was killing the very man responsible for all this horror the only option?

Yes, yes it was.

_But was it really?_

Yes.

_Are you sure?_

Yes.

_But the feeling you felt after killing Grigol, did you enjoy it?_

No.

_Do you want to feel it again?_

No.

_But you still want to kill Silva?_

Yes.

_What about her?_

What about who?

_Sis. What would she do in this situation? How would she feel about it?_

Natsu's eyes snapped open. He remembered her bright, kind face, and could actually hear her voice in his ears, and as he recalled Erza's words from a moment ago, the answer formed itself.

She'd try to stop me. She'd try to help me. Just like her.

No longer able to keep his emotions inside, Natsu roared into the sky in confusion, anger and powerlessness. After a short while he stopped and slowly turned around to face Erza.

"I can't." he whispered to her, his eyes closing themselves on their own from exhaustion.

She managed to crack a small smile at him. "I see."

Suddenly, his eyes lost their focus, and he started to fall onto his face.

"Natsu!" she called out and caught him before he could fall. She supported his weight with her body and slowly dropped to her knees along with him, allowing him to lean in on her figure. She gently wrapped her arms around his figure and lightly hugged him, closing her own eyes as well.

"Thank you." she whispered into his ear, and as she sat there with him in her arms, she heard the familiar sound of Christina hovering in the air just above them.

The battle was over. Their nightmare has ended. They had won.

* * *

Few hours after Silva's defeat, Makarov, along with his rescue party and multiple Council ships have arrived at the scene. After the initial shock of the state the battleground was in, the Council quickly attended to all the injured. Mira, Laxus, Gajeel and Juvia, who were in critical state, were tended to by Council doctors along with Wendy, who put everything she had on the line in order to save them.

The freed slaves were immediately loaded onto a separate ship and sent straight to a hospital, in order to check their health and tend to those too weak to move on their own. Before they could leave, however, they all expressed their gratitude to Lucy, who came by some time before the reinforcements arrived and almost crushed her to death with a warm group hug.

During the battle, two Commandments have perished. Jolene and Dryden's bodies were taken away straight away, with an order to burn them falling almost immediately. The remaining Commandments have been cuffed with Anti-Magic Cuffs and treated in order to ensure their survival during the journey back to the Council, where they were to be trialed. Erza couldn't help but frown sadly as she watched Jellal being taken away, the image of her old friends still stuck in her mind.

Natsu, who was also ordered to be captured, did not even fight back, He willingly allowed himself to be escorted by Rune Knights, who did not even bother cuffing him, mostly because of the state he was in. It took Makarov everything he had to calm Erza down and beg her for patience.

A day later, Council blew up the tower with over a ton of lacrima explosives, reducing it into a pile of rubble. In order to completely destroy it, the entire island was set in flames, turning this cursed place into ashes.

* * *

**Three days later, November 27th, Fairy Tail Guild  
**

The memories of the battle were still fresh, mostly because of the scars left on everyone who was present in the Tower that night.

Mirajane, who was now able to walk on her own, sat in her chair in the guild and repeatedly clenched and relaxed her fist, frowning. Because of setting her hand aflame during her fight with Dryden, her nerves received serious damage that could not be repaired fully, and in result, her hand would stiffen get "jam" for a moment, which greatly annoyed her. It was also covered in scars, which could not be simply overlooked by a naked eye. Although she knew the consequences of her actions, the fact her hand would never be as functional as before pained her.

Although Lucy did not receive any serious injuries in her battle, she was still shaken up by the feeling of being stripped off her will. The constant nightmares forcefully kept her awake, slowly but surely driving her insane. If it hadn't been for Loke and everyone else's support, she'd have broken down already.

Laxus laid in his bed and frowned while looking out the window. Facing those two beasts reminded him that despite his already impressive strength, there was always someone out there, standing on a higher level. Cursing his luck and powerlessness, he swore never to allow himself to feel so miserable ever again. It was time to shape himself up even more.

Gajeel limped through the guild, a crutch in his hand and a frown on his face. He didn't like it, not one bit. He got hit ass kicked not once, but twice, and because of that, others had to deal with his problems. Despite being covered in new scars, with the most noticeable ones being those on his thigh and shoulder, his pride received damage he doubted would ever recover. But he was more than willing to help it out.

Juvia tried to avoid him, feeling guilty of what happened. But after three days of trying, she broke. She slowly walked up to him and shyly sat right in front of him, afraid he will tell her to go away. He just sat there, reading his magazine, not even looking at her.

"What's up?" asked her Gray in a bored tone.

Juvia was slightly taken back by his carefree approach, but did not falter.

"I wanted to apologize."

Gray frowned and looked at her from over his magazine. "For what?"

After a short pause, she spilled it out. "Because of me, you had to do something terrible. I will never be able to answer for this sin. If only I paid attention, and didn't let that woman sneak up on me..."

In one quick move, he threw his magazine aside and leaned forwards, grabbing her by the collar. He grit his teeth in anger and stared deep into her eyes, slightly scaring her.

"Don't you dare." he hissed. She blinked at him in confusion. "Don't you dare blame yourself for this. This was all my fault. It happened because of me. Don't you dare take it all upon yourself!"

The last sentence was a scream, and as she watched him in shock, she noticed tears running down his face, his voice breaking. "If only I had been stronger..."

Almost as if by instinct, she quickly stood up and wrapped her arms around him, tightly hugging him to her figure. He didn't reject her like he was so used to. This time, he succumbed to her warm figure and hugged her back, allowing himself to let it all out. Something he needed for a very long time.

* * *

**November 28th, Magic Council HQ, Era**

Makarov was now standing in front of the Chairman and many other Council members, an image he's seen not so long ago. This time, however, he was here in a different matter.

"Words cannot express how happy I am to see you well and healthy again, Chairman." said the elder with a gentle bow.

Gran Doma nodded in gratitude. "I am as well. I feel like I have awakened from a very long nightmare. A nightmare that you, my friend, have put an end to. I cannot express how thankful I am."

Makarov shook his head. "It wasn't me. My kids deserve all the praise. I simply broke in and caused even more chaos."

Gran Doma gently chuckled. "I guess now we know who they take after."

Both men shared a gentle laugh,. before Gran Doma cleared his throat and struck the floor with his staff.

"Unfortunately, we are not here to joke around, but discuss the damage dealt by Seven Commandments. I think it's fair that I start with myself. My weakness almost led to not only the destruction of the Council, but the entire magic world as well. For that, there is nothing I can do to repent."

Murmurs filled the hall. Makarov frowned sadly. He expected this to happen, but it still pained him.

"Therefore, today will be my last day as the Chairman. I will resign by midnight and pass my title onto Sage Org."

Shocked gasps echoed across the hall, along with outraged calls of disagreement. The Chairman ignored them and turned to shocked Org. "Would you be willing to fill my shoes, old friend?"

Although shocked, the elder bowed. "It would be my honor."

Gran Doma nodded and struck the floor once again, silencing the ruckus. He looked around the hall in search of anyone else willing to speak out, and seeing none, he addressed Makarov once again.

"The people retrieved from the Tower have been successfully treated. We managed to reunite some of them with their families, but unfortunately, the rest has nowhere to go. The Council will take care of that, and we will make sure to secure them a fruitful future, where they can live in peace."

Makarov nodded. "I will relay this information to Lucy and Juvia. They are the girls responsible for freeing them."

"There's also the matter of all the guilds who took a part in this ridiculous farce regarding the bounty. They will be visited by an official from the Council, and given a necessary payment, in order to secure all the caused property damage. That applies to Fairy Tail as well."

The tiny Master sweatdropped. He had no desire to correct this mistake and tell the Chairman that it was Ntaus who broke down his door, not his men.

"Although I think it goes without saying, the order to disband Fairy Tail has been lifted. If it hadn't been for you and your members, the world of magic would receive grim damage. After this terrible stain on our reputation, the world doesn't believe in us anymore. We must do everything in our power to ensure, that such tragedy never happens ever again." continued Gran Doma, with many members mutterring their agreement.

Makarov bowed down once again. "Thank you for your kind words, however we do not deserve all the praise. If it hadn't been for our outside help, we wouldn't be able to help." He then lifted his head to look into Gran Doma's eyes. "Therefore, I ask you to reconsider shortening the sentences of Six Generals. It was thanks to their intel that I was able to confirm my suspicions."

Gran Doma stared back at the elder. "This matter will be discussed at a later date, however, I give you my word, that they will not be forgotten."

Makarov nodded. "There's also the last matter left to discuss, and I think we both know who I'm talking about."

The Chairman exhaled through his nose. He expected this topic to come up, but it still felt wrong to talk about it.

"It'd be yet another stain on our honor if I undermined his role in this victory. If it hadn't been for Salamander, Seven Commandments would have accomplished their plan, and at a much faster rate. However..."

Makarov closed his eyes. He knew that this conversation would not be easy, and this pause was just the tip of the iceberg.

"Years of constantly breaking the law, hurting and killing people, along with his affliction to the Underground. That cannot be simply overlooked, no matter how good of a deed he did. He will remain in his cell and await his trial."

Makarov hung his head. He knew that no matter how hard he argued, the decision would not be overturned. Still, he couldn't help but feel frustrated.

"Is what I'd have said under normal circumstances." finished Gran Doma, greatly shocking everyone present in the hall. The Chairman then faced Makarov.

"Makarov Dreyar. Your guild is famous for being full of sketchy, violent young mages, who for some reason have some of the most golden hearts you could find in Fiore. Whether it's your influence, or your sixth sense that resolves around bringing the best out of them, is not really for me to decide. Therefore, I have come up with a proposition."

"Chairman, you can't seriously think of releasing this criminal?!" yelled outraged Michello.

"I'd like to remind you, Michello, that this criminal is quite possibly the only reason you're still standing here." threw in Belno.

This appeared to shut the short man up, as he fumed quietly and sat back in his place. Gran Doma then turned back to Makarov and continued.

"What do you say? Would you be willing to hear me out?"

* * *

Erza nervously paced around the hallway, her arms crossed on her chest, as she repeatedly tapped her left bicep with her fingers. Lost in thoughts, she didn't even notice the door opening, with Makarov walking out. She snapped out of her trance and ran up to him, but before she could ask him the question he knew all too well, he raised his hand, signalising her to stop.

"Wait here. I'll be back in a moment."

That did not seem to satisfy her, but she nodded nonetheless and walked up to the window, before jumping onto a windowsill, her legs hanging off the edge.

Makarov followed his Rune Knight down the familiar stairs, both of them walking towards the jail. Not even few minutes later, he found himself in front of a door. He stepped aside to allow the guard to open it and stepped inside as soon as he could. He heard the door closing behind him, with the clank of a key turned in the lock echoing across the small room.

Makarov's eyes laid on a young man with pink hair, and he immediately felt himself being taken over by anger. Anger not aimed at the boy, gods no, but at the state he was in.

He was currently on his knees, his hands raised high above his head and cuffed tightly, his torso suspended, which prevented him from laying down. His injuries were barely treated, his entire body still covered in burns and cuts. Although he was given a new set of pants, his torso was naked, along with his feet.

Gritting his teeth and trying to prevent himself from going back up and giving those old fools a piece of his mind, Makarov walked up couple steps towards the youngster.

Natsu slowly lifted his head up and looked at the elder. "Last visit before my execution?" he asked weakly.

"Not execution, but life imprisonment." replied the elder. "But it's all up to you."

Natsu frowned. Makarov internally cursed himself for this poor choice of words and decided to start over.

"Although we've met few days ago, I doubt you remember me." he said. "Makarov Dreyar, Fairy Tail's Third Master."

Natsu did not respond for a short moment. "Natsu. Natsu Dragneel."

Makarov looked at his, slightly suprised. This was the first time he heard the boy's full name. Before, he introduced himself with just his nickname.

"Well then, Natsu. I guess there is no use in prolonging this any further."

Natsu blinked slowly and kept his eyes on Makarov's old face.

"Under normal circumstances, you'd be imprisoned for life. I think it's nothing new to either of us."

The pinkette smiled sadly. Of course. He expected it for some time now, but hearing it in person still hurt.

"But, as I said, that would be only under normal circumstances. And they are quite abnormal, if you ask me."

Now he was confused. Just what the hell was this old man talking about?

"In gratitude for your actions, you were given a second chance. You have two options: you can either stay here for the rest of your life, or come with me, and join my guild under very strict restrictions and rules. Your entire life would fall onto my shoulders and I'd be responsible for every single one of your actions. So, what do you say? Wanna bust out of here?" he finished with a grin.

Natsu's eyes widened. Did he hear it right? He could either stay here or join a guild? Was this some sort of a prank?

"You serious?" he asked.

Makarov nodded. "As serious as humanly possible. You could consider it house arrest, if you'd like. For the upcoming 5 years, I will have to deliver monthly reports of your activity. I will also be responsible for your actions during your work, time off and time spent in the guild. Your entire being will be my responsibility, that I will have no choice but watch over. _If_ you decide to take my offer, that is."

Natsu frowned. Why? Why was this man willing to go this far for a stranger?

"How can you ask me to join your guild?" he shot, confusing Makarov. "I hurt your members back in Blackhill."

"Yes, that you did." said Makarov. "But even if I wanted to, I am in no position to blame you for it. I sent them after you myself. If I was angry at you for defending yourself, I'd be a fool. And before you ask, none of them blame you for what happened either. They all came prepared."

It still didn't sit right with him.

"Besides, even if I did blame you for that incident, you'd have paid it with what you did in the Tower. It's because of you Lucy and Juvia are alive." added Makarov.

At the sound of Lucy's name, Natsu's face twisted into a frown, that went unnoticed by the elder due to how dark it was in the room. "Why would you go this far for someone like me?"

"Because I've met many troubled young people during my life, some of them you've already met yourself. It's one of my worst habits, but one I am most proud of. I simply can't turn my back on someone, who's in dire need of help. And you, my boy, are one of them." answered Makarov. A moment later, he looked to the side, a little troubled and scratched the back of his head with his hand. "That and Erza kept pesterizing me for the past 4 days."

Natsu's eyes widened at the sound of her name. "Erza..."

Makarov cleared his throat and extended his right hand in Natsu's direction. "This is not me saving you, or pitying you. This is me showing you a new, better path. Whether you take it, is up to you. You've spent too much time suffering on your own, the time for you to finally start living has come. I know that after the Tower, you believe there is nothing left for you in this world, but despite your beliefs, you still have a lot left to do, do you not? After all, that dragon will not find himself on his own."

Natsu's eyes snapped wide open. "How do you know about Igneel?!"

Makarov laughed at this sudden reaction. "Gajeel and Wendy were also raised by dragons, so I figured out that was the case with you as well. Looks like I was right."

His expression then turned serious, his hand still extended. "So, what do you say?"

The Dragon Slayer lowered his head. Did he really deserve this? Did he really deserve to receive such an opportunity? He never thought about life, or what he'd do after his confrontation with Silva. But, if he really had a chance to start fresh, if he really could let go of everything and rid himself off his chains, then...

He raised his head and looked into Makarov's eyes, his burning with new found resolve.

* * *

Erza was now angry. It's been over an hour since she was told to wait in the hallway, and since then she was ordered to wait outside. No matter how bad of a sense of time her Master had, "A moment" should never, ever last an hour. Fed up with waiting, she turned around towards the entrance, ready to give him a piece of her mind.

"Yo, Erza! Sorry it took so long!" he greeted her in the door, with few drops of sweat on his face. Despite his status, he knew he was screwed.

The knight sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, a sign that she was about to spill out on the poor soul that was chosen as her target. "Master, I..."

Before she could start, she felt her voice stop in her throat, because now, directly behind Makarov stood Natsu, clad in a borrowed Council jacket.

"Hey, Erza." he greeted her weakly, raising his right hand in the process.

Erza looked at Makarov in search for answers, but the elder simply showed her a peace sign and grinned. "Welcome our newest member, Natsu Dragneel!"

She still couldn't believe it. She slowly walked up to him, her brown eyes glued to his onyx irises. He looked terrible, but alive. Alive and out of his cell. That's all that mattered to her.

"Hey." she said back. "I see they let you out."

"Yeah. I could either stay there or join your guild, terrible choices no matter how I look at it."

She couldn't help but chuckle. "You have no idea."

Her right hand glowed in bright light, which blinded Natsu. After a short moment, he felt a familiar, warm sensation on his neck, with his scarf gently wrapped around his neck.

"I picked it up back in the Tower. I thought it was important, so I picked it up." she smiled.

He caressed the material. He didn't even realise how much he missed it until he finally got it back. He couldn't help but look at the redhead and give her quite possibly the warmest and widest smile she's seen from him thus far.

"It is. Thanks, Erza."

Taken back a little, she quickly recovered and smiled as well, her cheeks slightly red. "You're welcome."

For a moment they stood there, smiling at each other, before Makarov's coughing reminded them of his presence.

"I hate to break the moment, but we better leave. Our last train leaves in couple minutes."

Embarrassed, Erza nodded and walked behind Makarov, with Natsu following them.

After some arguing, Erza gave up and decided to trust Makarov's judgement. He decided to walk to the next train station, where they were supposed to catch a train that would get them home few hours earlier, than the one from Era. They walked through the forest outside of the town in silence, before Natsu stopped in his tracks. He looked around the area, his face frowned. Seeing this, Erza stopped and turned around to face him.

"Is something wrong?" she asked him.

Now fully convinced of where he was, he didn't even answer her, and instead threw himself in a mad dash through the bushes. Confused with his behavior, Erza followed him. She called out to him multiple times, but he did not reply to her voice. She jumped out of the bushes and passed by a ruined shed, following him into the wilds once again. After couple minutes of running, she stopped just by a tree that stood next to a river, panting heavily. She watched Natsu's back, as he stood by the river, his eyes glued to a big stone that was placed in the ground.

She wanted to call out to him, to ask him what the hell was that about, but for some reason, she couldn't. She simply watched him, as he squatted in front of the stone and smiled at it.

"Hey, Sis. Haven't been here in a while. Sorry for that, I was...busy. And not the good kind."

He took a deep breath and continued. "You probably despise me right now. Can't say I blame you, I've been a real asshole for the past seven years. Hell, you'd probably smack me for that one word alone. I know I've never been a good kid. Never listening, always causing trouble. And trust me, I haven't changed one bit. I'm still the same reckless idiot who made you worried sick. But, I guess you already know all about it."

He shifted his gaze at the sky. "I've spent over seven years in the dark. I've become the very man you hate the most. I did horrible things and selfishly tried to justify them with justice. Man, it really is embarrassing when I say it out loud. I know I'll never be able to make up for all of them, no matter how hard I try. But I managed to do something, that I'd never expected to do. I accepted someone's help."

His voice broke, but he tried to remain strong. "I know I've already did one, terrible thing I'll never be able to repent for, but I managed to stop myself from repeating this mistake. I reached out to a hand that was given to me and allowed it to pull me out. You did use to say, that when someone offers us their help, it is only natural to take it, and later return the favor. I know it took me seven years to let it happen, you don't have to remind me - I've always been a slow learner. But, that's what I'm going to do."

He lost. His eyes started to water, as he desperately tried to stop himself. "Despite everything I'd done, despite disappointing you so many times. Hell, you've probably spent the last seven years not sure whether to hate me or worry about me..."

Natsu was now quietly sobbing to himself, his eyes stinging. "So, despite all that, after all these years, I hope I managed to make you proud, for the first time ever. And although I failed to save the others, I will make it up. Not just to you, but all the others as well. I will live on, and continue to make you proud."

Erza was now in tears as well. She stood few meters away, not daring to walk up to him. She had no place there.

Natsu wiped his face off and smiled at the tombstone. "That's why I will start anew. I will take the chance given to me and leave everything behind. I won't let it all drag me down any longer."

He walked up to the side and picked up some flowers. He then placed his poor excuse of a bouquet on the grave and smiled one more time.

"Just you watch." he grinned at the tombstone and turned around, his eyes landing on Erza. She didn;t day anything, but instead wiped her face off as well. She smiled at him when he walked up to her.

"Let's get back. Master Makarov has probably plucked out his remaining hair when we both ran off. Getting in trouble on your very fist day in the guild? You will fit right in." she chuckled.

He smiled at her. "I think I will." He then turned back around and sent one final look at the tombstone. His smile widened, with one final stone finally off his chest.

His new life has just begun.

**End of Chapter 14. To be continued in Chapter 15: Settling In.**


End file.
